When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. No matter how good your products and services are, you will inevitably get customer complaints when you run a business. There’s no real escape or a fool-proof way to avoid getting any complaints throughout the lifespan of your business. There are so many types of people out there. You can’t please them all.
Today, we’ll be discussing the importance and benefits of customer complaints about business.
Types of Complaints
There are going to be so many types of complaints any given brand will get. Despite the creativity and unique ways people can formulate complaints, most of them will fall under one of two of the following categories:
Product Complaints
Product complaints are the most common type of complaints lodged by customers. Now, it’s important to note that when people have negative feedback about your products, several scenarios could be happening.
For one, they might have purchased the product without understanding its use and purpose. This means they’re not the target audience. Another scenario is that they might be a few unfortunate customers that happened to get a defective unit or model.
And finally, the most concerning reason of all, there might be an issue with production and packaging, somehow affecting the product. Make sure your sales representatives take careful note of every product complaint so that you can figure out whether it’s a fluke or a flaw in the system.
Customer Service Complaints
Now, customer service is one the most significant factors that impact customer satisfaction. If a customer has an unpleasant or unsuccessful interaction with one of your sales representatives, staff, employees, and others, it could spell bad news.
However, as a business, one thing you have to implement strongly is the idea that the customer is not always right. Just like with product complaints, there are plenty of scenarios that could cause this.
Maybe your staff was underperforming. Perhaps the customer crossed the line. Perhaps the staff couldn’t handle the pressure from the customer. It’s essential to get a full recap of events as much as possible. Because only then can you move forward strategically.
One of the things you can learn from this experience is what kind of image or support your business has, should the situation get bigger. When you’ve fully assessed the situation and are ready to respond, you will get a good gauge of your brand’s reach, depending on the reaction to your response.
Value Complaints
Value complaints happen when customers feel like the product or service doesn’t justify the price. You can learn a lot from these types of complaints. It tells you what people are looking for and what they might find more valuable and useful to their experience.
As mentioned above, it’s important to filter through these complaints, as they won’t all be constructive or helpful. But when you open your mind to what people have to say, you can drastically improve your offerings and boost your business.
New Customer Complaints
New customers bring in a fresh new perspective of your business and your products. Most likely, their complaints will contain comparisons to other brands, their expectations, and maybe even suggestions on improving products or services. For these types of complaints, sales representatives play a huge role.
They must take note of what the customer has to say and convince them to try your product or service one more time. Of course, it won’t always be a success, but these situations can be great learning experiences instead of just negatives for your company.
Regular Customer Complaints
Just like new customers, regulars have a unique perspective when it comes to your company. They have certain expectations and an established baseline for how they think a product or service should be. That said, they are probably the only ones qualified to give some of the most insightful feedback.
Regulars can probably spot the most seemingly insignificant or unnoticeable changes in the quality of your products and services. They are familiar with the operation, the service, how most products should look, perform, or taste. Their complaints or feedback will prove to be very useful in maintaining a certain standard for your business.
Benefits of Customer Complaints
Now, there are plenty of things you can do when a customer complains. But the best thing to do is listen, respond thoughtfully, and, whenever possible, apply changes.
Improves Your Service
Complaints don’t always come from a place of anger or hostility, although it may seem that way. Usually, when a customer is bothered enough to write a complaint or call it in, it means that the issue must be serious or they’re genuinely concerned about the value and quality of the products or services.
Make sure to train sales representatives on how to respond thoughtfully and interact with frustrated or disappointed customers. In the long run, it will help your business improve and offer better products and services.
Identifies Legitimate Issues
No matter how big or small the business might be, there will be issues and problems that escape your attention. It happens. Maybe there’s a problem with transportation, communication, and more. Complaints can bring attention to legitimate issues that might have slipped unnoticed.
Half the time, you might disagree entirely with customer complaints. And that’s valid. Not everyone who sends in their thoughts has good intentions. Sometimes they just want to let off steam. But at the same time, you still have to listen as there will be times that it helps you understand your processes better.
Opportunities for Employee Growth
The ones that are most affected by customer complaints are the on-site employees and sales representatives. Their job can be difficult as there will be days that complaints are not something they control.
However, if they can listen and note what the customers have to say, at the very least, it can help to boost employee growth. Employee growth doesn’t just refer to them fixing themselves or adjusting their performance based on complaints. It also refers to their ability to handle and manage customers.
Conclusion
While there will be plenty of trolls and nonsense complaints, especially once you’re a much bigger brand, there’s also going to be some very insightful and constructive feedback. But to find the gold in the dirt, you have to listen and filter through the noise. Don’t focus on the complaints, but don’t dismiss them either.
As a business, when you start, customer complaints may seem like a nightmare. But no matter where you are in your journey, whether you’re just getting started or are well into your peak, it’s crucial to stay on your toes and keep your ears to the ground. Complaints don’t necessarily mean you’ve failed. Instead, you can look at them as opportunities to improve.
If you’re looking for a way to improve your client experience, start with your service. With hundreds or even thousands of customers, you need a reliable team. CrewBloom is ready and equipped to provide expert and dependable sales representatives to ensure your brand is represented in the best way possible. We guarantee that our team of professionals works hard, smart, and fast!
