How to Deal With (and Avoid) Customer Complaints

Customer complaints are just a fact of doing business. Even if your service is perfect and your products are the highest quality available, criticism is inevitable. But if your team is armed with knowledge about how to handle customer complaints, you’ll be able to resolve any situation that comes your way. In fact, we’ll even give you a few pointers on how to avoid the top customer complaints entirely.

While it may be uncomfortable to face customer complaints, your online reputation may depend on your ability to gracefully handle criticism. Research shows that consumers are more likely to recommend a business to others when their issues are positively resolved. On the other hand, if you’ve been letting customers leave angry, then you may need to read these posts about fixing bad reviews:

• How to Remove Bad Google Reviews
• Ripoff Report Removal Options
• How to Remove Bad Reviews From Facebook
• Removing Bad Yelp Reviews

Here are the top customer complaints and how to deal with them tactfully.

Customer complaint #1: product disappointment

No one wants to buy a product that doesn’t live up to expectations. So it’s no surprise that the most common product-related complaints are centered around broken or non-functional items, and order errors. When customers aren’t getting what they expected they may leave negative feedback about your business on review sites. Because responding to negative reviews can be tricky, businesses often cause more harm than good. And some sites like Ripoff Report won’t remove bad online reviews, which means you may be stuck with them for good.

How you can avoid this situation

There are two important ways to avoid product disappointment: quality control, and customer expectation management. With quality control, it’s on you to make sure that every order is accurate. Products should be in good working order with no missing pieces in the right color, size, or flavor. Customers should receive what they ordered, and your quality control department is the last line of defense against disappointment.

It’s also critical to manage customer expectations. If you don’t provide thorough product descriptions, customers may assume you’re selling something that you’re not. Share multiple, clear product photos, and explain your return policies before customers commit to a purchase.

Customer complaint #2: poor service

Poor service can drive customers to your competition in an instant. The biggest service complaints often involve speed, rudeness, and knowledge. Customers don’t like to be kept waiting. Unfortunately, customers perceive things differently when they aren’t happy. They may feel like they waited much longer than they really did, or that your employees were rude when they weren’t. Above all, customers want to know that they’ll be treated fairly and with courtesy.

How you can prevent this complaint

Breeding a culture of proactive customer service is important to delivering a great brand experience. That means everyone, whether they’re working directly with customers or not, should understand and exemplify one important company value: customer respect. Train and continually remind employees that customer service is one of your company’s most valuable assets, and it’s important to respect, support, and delight every customer they come into contact with.

Customer complaint #3: negative atmosphere

Another common customer complaint? Problems with the physical space. This often means, dirty bathrooms, uncomfortable temperatures, loud music, or uncomfortable seats. Customers may also complain that they can’t find certain items or areas they were looking for. At restaurants, 76% of people complain about dirty utensils or tables, and 73% complain about dirty restrooms.

How you can avoid this complaint

First, be honest with yourself: is your establishment really a friendly place to be? Take a good look at the bathroom and other amenities and consider whether they’re good enough to represent you. But beyond that, it’s essential to open the lines of communication. Let customers tell you, gently, when there’s a problem — and then act on it.

Place a sign in the restroom asking customers to tell you if there’s a problem. Pointedly ask customers for their opinion on the music or temperature, and be sure to find out if they’re having any trouble finding something.

These questions are important to catch in real time because they mean a difference between making a sale and the customer giving up and leaving.

Customer complaint #4: poor communication

Occasionally, things go wrong with a customer. You can’t deliver on the service you promised, products are no longer available, or you’ve made a mistake. It happens. These can lead to complaints, but far more often, the problem is that companies aren’t up front about issues.

Cheryl Reed, director of external communications with Angi says that the biggest complaint they hear from their members is that companies don’t call them back.

Other major problems that fall under this issue are difficulty getting in touch and reaching a resolution. Customers hate long hold times and communication delays. A lack of follow up is a problem too, with many customers citing problems with unresolved issues, or calling over and over again for the same problem.

How you can prevent this complaint

Be upfront, clear, and always available. Make prompt communications a priority for your business, and be sure to keep customers in the loop — even when you have to deliver bad news.

Make it easy to reach you around the clock, whether that means you offer 24/7 phone service, or simply provide customers with an email or text number they can use to drop a line any time.

If you’re a boutique business, make it a point to remember and take notes on customer issues. Larger businesses may need to consider CRM software that allows multiple employees to take notes on issues and needs that are particular to the individual customer.

Customer complaint #5: A lack of information

Before you visit a store, restaurant, hotel, or other business, you may want to know a few details before you arrive. What’s on the menu, where you can park, if they have a shirt in your size, and more. In hospitality, Bittan says customers often want to know about baby cribs, gym equipment, or specific reservation questions. Some businesses do a great job of answering these questions, but others don’t — and that’s when it gets frustrating.

How you can avoid this complaint:

Customers want information. Give it to them. Whether on your website, Yelp review page, or other information resource for your business, share important details they’d like to know about your business or service which may include:

• Clear, easy to find contact information with options for phone, mail, or email
• Directions with parking details
• Menus or prices
• Service details and amenities available
• Testimonials or reviews
• Options for giving feedback

Customer complaint #6: service disappointment

Similar to product disappointment, customers complain when they don’t get the service they think they paid for. It may be that you didn’t do what you promised, or it may be an issue of misunderstanding. Either way, it’s a problem.

How you can stop this complaint

This is another issue where managing expectations is essential. You should do what you promised — but make sure that it’s clear what you’re promising. Customers should have an accurate timeline, and if you can’t make it, it’s always better to give them a heads up before it becomes a problem.

To improve customer experience, consider under promising and over delivering. For instance, tell customers your product will arrive in two weeks, and then delivering it in one. It’s always better to surprise and delight than disappoint and deal with complaints.

Contact us if you need help dealing with bad reviews online!

Customer complaint #7: waiting

Waiting is a universal problem that every business deals with. Whether you’re running a restaurant or a consulting business, customers and clients typically want what they want now, and they don’t want to wait for it. The pressure is on to deliver fast, and while you should be on top of time constraints, the fact is that someone always has to wait. (And that’s frustrating.)

How you can avoid this complaint

While no one likes to wait, most customers are reasonable people and understand that often, service and products do not appear instantaneously just because they’d like them to. At some point, someone will have to wait, whether that’s in line, on hold, or for a product or service to arrive.

You can help make the process easier and head off complaints before they start by, once again, managing customer expectations. Let them know ahead of time a reasonable waiting period, and then do your best to meet (or beat) it. Check in with updates, and let them know their patience will be rewarded.

Of course, it always helps to streamline your process and work to improve your service so that you can continually deliver faster and give your customers what they really want.

Customer complaint #8: hidden costs or fees

No one likes to be surprised — and no one likes to pay more than they’ve expected. That’s why customers really hate hidden costs or fees, and they will complain about them. And even worse, if they feel you haven’t been upfront about these charges, they may actually feel cheated and lose feelings of loyalty. That’s bad news.

How to prevent this complaint

Be more clear about pricing. For example, if you have high shipping fees for some items, be sure to note it on the product page. If customers may incur service fees by taking a certain action, warn them before you let them do it. Or even at a restaurant, if they choose an option that requires an up charge, let them know as soon as they order it — not when they get the bill. For some businesses, it may make sense to offer all inclusive pricing and automatically include the options that customers typically pay fees for.

Customer complaint #9: difficulty returning or items

When a customer isn’t happy with a product, chances are good they just want to bring it back and get a refund. But when businesses make it difficult to do so, that can lead to serious frustration and complaints.

How you can preclude this complaint

Have a clear return policy so customers understand what they’re getting into. If you simply can’t offer returns on any particular item, say so, and let customers know about it multiple times. But if you do offer returns, make them simple. Allow customers to automate it, or offer to send a free replacement without requiring a return. It’s almost always more valuable to preserve the customer relationship than it is to force your customer to keep a product they no longer want or aren’t happy with.

Customer complaint #10: billing or fee disputes

Financial services, utilities, retail sales, services, and other industries have this problem: issues with billing or fees. It all boils down to customers not understanding their bill, or, genuine issues in how they’re billed or charged for products or services. This problem hits them where it hurts: their wallets, and they often have serious complaints about it.

How you can avert this complaint

Clarity is key in this situation. As with hidden fees and costs, customers should know ahead of time what they are expected to pay on their bill, or fees that may pop up. Make sure that any invoices you send are detailed, easy to read and understand, and have clear contact information they can use to get help if needed. Customer service agents should be well informed of policies and able to explain problems that customers may have with their bills, or, take a look to ensure that if there is an inaccuracy, they can take action to get it resolved.

Customer complaint #11: arguing

Perhaps the most egregious mistake is trying to win a fight against customers. No one wins when you pick a fight with a customer. Whether you disagree on meal substitutions, billing issues, or whether an item can be returned or not, it’s important that you work out differences in a way that shows customers respect and gives them an incentive to continue a positive relationship with you.

How you can ward off this complaint

We’ve all heard that the “customer is always right,” and we all know that this simply isn’t true. Sometimes, the customer is wrong. But sometimes in order for your business to win you have to let your customer “win.” Whatever the issue, if your customer isn’t happy then it’s up to you to make it better. You don’t have to give them the world, or even everything they ask for. But you should offer them your respectful attention and find a resolution they’re satisfied with. Sometimes, that means swallowing your pride and losing some money. But often the decision pays off in the long run.