Complaints - The Art Of Listening

• Let no misunderstanding stand between you and your client.
  
  
• Defuse conflicts by listening and finding out exactly what the problem is first. Concentrate on their needs. Don't jump to conclusions, or justifications. It's a bit late to embark on conflict resolution after you've spent time justifying your own position.
  
  
• Identify if the problem is a disagreement over expectations, or a complaint about the level of service.
  
  
• Conflict resolution sounds complex, but it's just a title. It simply rests on refining the Art of Listening. People speak of being drawn to former President Bill Clinton because when he spoke with you, he was fully with you, as if no one else existed. And that works.
  
  
• Separate the problem from the initial manner of the person making the complaint. People come across very strongly when they're upset, so it's hard to hear their complaint. Put this aside and make them your friend and many difficulties melt away.
  
  
• Respond to their concerns as if they are the only person in your universe - and without becoming defensive. If you become defensive they will read this as guilt. So simply ask what remedy they feel is appropriate. Take this complaint to the person who can fix it. And see that it's fixed swiftly.
  
  
• In their book Getting To Yes, Roger Fisher and William Ury coined the term ‘Principled Negotiation', that is, negotiating with everyone from firm principles that hold honesty and personal integrity as your highest goal.
  
  
• Owning these principles, it's easy to do my 4 steps for resolving complaints:
  
  
  1. Listen - carefully
     
     
  2. Show people they've ‘been heard' (and may I suggest that you SMILE?  Remember, you're making them your friend.)
     
     
  3. Take responsibility
     
     
  4. Fix the problem - quickly
     
     

I have a little mantra to keep myself on track here: ‘DON'T MAKE EXCUSES - MAKE IT RIGHT'

It's been researched and proven that if you handle even a legitimate complaint well, you stand to gain - or re-gain - a more loyal long term customer than if nothing had gone wrong in the first place.

Why is this?

Because you've taken responsibility, fixed it, if that's possible, but most of all, because you've shown them YOU CARE!

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