How to Turn Client Complaints into Raving Fan Moments

As business owners, the last thing we want is to underserve our clients and leave them complaining about our services.  Unfortunately, it happens when a business is growing.

The key is to have a great system in place to handle each opportunity like a pro and turn those complaints into raving fans moments.

Why Complaints Happen

Often as a business grows, the initial team has less and less time to reach out to customers to confirm that great experience or ensure that all questions have been answered and the person is set. Things often become clunky as growth occurs and until we refine our processes, build a solid team, and have a well-structured client journey, complaints occur.

Complaints can also occur when a team member is not fully trained up to clearly articulate the process or answer questions, and confusion ensues. Of course, there are also those days when you catch someone having a particularly bad day and an unintended snap response can create a poor experience.

In other situations, the marketing and sales can create expectations that are not in alignment with what you do or what you are able to complete for client. Whether this is through services performed for clients or a product, the initial contacts and promises go a long way towards setting those future expectations. This is where a company can later fall short from what the client believed they were getting.

The Secrets to Handling Client Complaints

The number one hidden secret is having a good process. For instance, we have taught hundreds of business owners and their teams how to handle client compliance in nine easy steps. This provides a framework and a process to lead the client from unhappiness to acknowledgement, affirmation that we are listening, and resolution. For so many individuals, it is the handling of the client complaint that is most important. Having a clear process is what gives everyone on the team confidence to handle the matter, equipping them to help move the client forward.

The second secret comes in the timing. It becomes a trust buster if a team member learns of a client complaint and does nothing. It is imperative to have a clear timeline during which we will proceed forward with investigation, gather info, and assess so we can make an informed decision of how to handle the complaint and convey back to the client opportunities for resolution.

The third secret comes in giving the client an opportunity to be part of the solution. When you simply shove a result down someone’s throat, it is less likely to be received with cheer. In contrast, when you acknowledge and provide them with a choice, they are part of the solution and have more buy-in. (Hint: this works with team members as well as clients!) Make sure your process has a good methodology to present the client with opportunities of how to move forward and let their voice be heard.

Surefire Ways to Create Raving Fans

While having some clients not have a perfect experience becomes a byproduct of growth, there are a multitude of ways to create raving fans, even after they’ve complained. Here are some tips:

• Listening:  As with so many things, simply taking the time to listen to a client or customer is vital to tuning in to what is working and what is not working in your processes.
• Acknowledgment: All too often, the opportunity to acknowledge the unfortunate incident is overlooked. Simply stating, “thank you for sharing and I’m sorry you had that experience” can go a long way to helping the client feel heard and acknowledged. While we never want to throw our team under the bus until we have investigated and reviewed the actual series of events that transpired, a simple acknowledgement can go a long way.
• Choice: As stated above, giving clients an opportunity to be part of the resolution allows the person to choose steps forward. By simply stating, “while we can’t change the events which transpired, we would like to propose some options to move you forward.” You are creating forward momentum to allow the person to get over the complaint and proceed forward toward a better place. This is where you create a raving fan.
• Thank them for their feedback:  Showing appreciation can be another surefire way to turn a person into a raving fan. When you genuinely appreciate hearing about an area that is problematic so that you can take steps to refine your systems and ensure that it does not happen in the future, people feel like they are part of a bigger solution.

Know that complaints will happen from time to time; by tracking what they are and quickly seeking resolutions (not just for that particular client but improving your processes), overall you will build stronger, more resilient business systems that will create raving fans. These are the people who will refer you more and more business and come back to you for more and more help.