Home Business Tips

When the Customer Complains

No matter how organized the system is, or how excellent the products or services are, or how efficient and trained the personnel are, a home business will inevitably receive complains from customers. There are unavoidable circumstances and uncontrollable factors, such as delays in shipping and personality clashes among employees.

An entrepreneur may view these complains as disasters. When the costumer complains, it may mean that he will not place additional orders or avail of other services offered by the home business. And, by word of mouth, he may prevent other potential customers from patronizing the home business.

The complaints, however, may present a golden opportunity to turn the casual (and even irate) customer into a loyal client. To attain this desirable transformation, there are four important steps that a home business owner can do.

1. Attentively listen to the complaining customer
   The home business entrepreneur must devote all his attention to the complaining customer. He should not defend himself or the home business. And he should not attempt to correct any misconception that the customer may have.
2. Sincerely apologize for the fiasco
   After listening to the customer, the home business owner must admit the failure of the home business to satisfactorily cater to the needs of the customer. He should apologize and his apology should be sincere. A customer will easily spot a lip-service apology. The home business owner must not place the responsibility of the fiasco on an employee. By taking the whole responsibility, the home business owner becomes a man of integrity in the eyes of the customer.
3. Genuinely empathize with the customer’s feelings
   Right at the heels of an apology, the home business owner should empathize with the discontent and disappointment of the customer. He must see the situation from the point of view of the customer. This will make the customer know that the business owner understood his plight.
4. Give a guarantee that whatever the complaint was all about, it will not happen again.
   The business owner must then take steps to prevent the recurrence of the same problem. He should assure his customer that the home business will strive to give a better, faster, and more satisfactory service. He should also mention the specific measures that he is going to implement. It may be a change in policy or in the structure of the business.

Using these four steps, the home business owner is basically telling the customer that the home business is still a great place to seek solutions or buy products. The customer will continue his patronage of the home business if his complaint was managed appropriately.

Small/Home Business Tips, Customer Service 2006-02-17 Home Business Tips