How to Deal with Consumer Complaints Online
Use the CARP acronym to handle the problem., Take your time., Remember that complaints are gifts., Don’t defer blame., Crowdsource your response., Don’t be a stiff., Don’t be overly friendly., Keep in touch., Get help if you need it.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Use the CARP acronym to handle the problem.
In the 2011 book If It Wasn’t for the Customers I’d Really Like This Job, Robert Bacall proposes an excellent 4-step process for handling consumer complaints:
Control – Use language that establishes your control of the situation and shows that you are ready to field concerns.
Acknowledge – Acknowledge that you really understand and are serious about resolving the customer’s issue.
Refocus – Switch your focus from reassuring the customer to the issue at hand.
Make sure you get a good idea of the problem and outline how it will be addressed.
Problem Solve – This is where the magic happens.
Give the customer details on how the problem can be solved. -
Step 2: Take your time.
One of the advantages of replying to complaints in writing as opposed to over the phone is that you can take all the time you want to think about your response and make it at helpful as possible before it is sent to the customer.
Take advantage of this fact by making your reply concise, to the point, and eloquent.
There is no excuse for a lazy reply in writing! , Instead of thinking of consumer complaints as negative instances, think of them as gifts.
The customer took time out of their day to go online and write you an inquiry, and you should thank them for pointing out a weak point of your business that you can improve.
Taking this approach will make consumer complaint responders much better at their jobs, as well as making their jobs more rewarding. , Including a phrase like “we’re sorry you are having this problem” in your response is a quick way to make the customer think badly of your business.
Wording such a phrase in a way that indirectly labels the customer (“you”) as the source of the problem is passive-aggressive and makes it seem like you are deferring blame.
Take charge and take responsibility without actually assuming guilt. , The fact that the Internet is an open-source platform makes it easy to allow input from many people – in this case, other customers – on a given complaint. Allowing customers to network in order to file and field complaints not only saves time on the part of your customer representatives, but it also makes the customers feel good about the company when they get to take part in an exclusive community. , When fielding complaint after complaint, a representative can easily come to view complaining customers as objectives to disperse of rather than actual human beings.
This can often result in an emotionless and rigid communication style that does not put the customer at ease and reflects badly upon the business.
Of course, this should be avoided at all costs. , While refraining from being a stiff in your responses, keep in mind that you are a professional.
Do not try to be overly cheerful, zestful, or friendly.
This will come off as creepy and will look even worse than a soulless robot response.
When composing your response, try to imagine you are helping your friend with an issue in a field you happen to be an expert in. , Nothing is more disheartening and agitating to a customer than when they email a company about a complaint and they do not get a reply for a long time, if ever.
It is, therefore, advisable to keep frequent contact with the customer.
Even if you do not yet have a definitive response to the customer’s complaint, it is very reassuring for him to let him know you’re working on it. , Various review and consumer fraud sites have years of experience in helping people deal with consumer complaints online.
Whenever you are experiencing an issue with a product and you need to talk to a professional who can help remedy the problem, log on to such a site and find all the resources you need. -
Step 3: Remember that complaints are gifts.
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Step 4: Don’t defer blame.
-
Step 5: Crowdsource your response.
-
Step 6: Don’t be a stiff.
-
Step 7: Don’t be overly friendly.
-
Step 8: Keep in touch.
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Step 9: Get help if you need it.
Detailed Guide
In the 2011 book If It Wasn’t for the Customers I’d Really Like This Job, Robert Bacall proposes an excellent 4-step process for handling consumer complaints:
Control – Use language that establishes your control of the situation and shows that you are ready to field concerns.
Acknowledge – Acknowledge that you really understand and are serious about resolving the customer’s issue.
Refocus – Switch your focus from reassuring the customer to the issue at hand.
Make sure you get a good idea of the problem and outline how it will be addressed.
Problem Solve – This is where the magic happens.
Give the customer details on how the problem can be solved.
One of the advantages of replying to complaints in writing as opposed to over the phone is that you can take all the time you want to think about your response and make it at helpful as possible before it is sent to the customer.
Take advantage of this fact by making your reply concise, to the point, and eloquent.
There is no excuse for a lazy reply in writing! , Instead of thinking of consumer complaints as negative instances, think of them as gifts.
The customer took time out of their day to go online and write you an inquiry, and you should thank them for pointing out a weak point of your business that you can improve.
Taking this approach will make consumer complaint responders much better at their jobs, as well as making their jobs more rewarding. , Including a phrase like “we’re sorry you are having this problem” in your response is a quick way to make the customer think badly of your business.
Wording such a phrase in a way that indirectly labels the customer (“you”) as the source of the problem is passive-aggressive and makes it seem like you are deferring blame.
Take charge and take responsibility without actually assuming guilt. , The fact that the Internet is an open-source platform makes it easy to allow input from many people – in this case, other customers – on a given complaint. Allowing customers to network in order to file and field complaints not only saves time on the part of your customer representatives, but it also makes the customers feel good about the company when they get to take part in an exclusive community. , When fielding complaint after complaint, a representative can easily come to view complaining customers as objectives to disperse of rather than actual human beings.
This can often result in an emotionless and rigid communication style that does not put the customer at ease and reflects badly upon the business.
Of course, this should be avoided at all costs. , While refraining from being a stiff in your responses, keep in mind that you are a professional.
Do not try to be overly cheerful, zestful, or friendly.
This will come off as creepy and will look even worse than a soulless robot response.
When composing your response, try to imagine you are helping your friend with an issue in a field you happen to be an expert in. , Nothing is more disheartening and agitating to a customer than when they email a company about a complaint and they do not get a reply for a long time, if ever.
It is, therefore, advisable to keep frequent contact with the customer.
Even if you do not yet have a definitive response to the customer’s complaint, it is very reassuring for him to let him know you’re working on it. , Various review and consumer fraud sites have years of experience in helping people deal with consumer complaints online.
Whenever you are experiencing an issue with a product and you need to talk to a professional who can help remedy the problem, log on to such a site and find all the resources you need.
About the Author
Kayla Barnes
Professional writer focused on creating easy-to-follow pet care tutorials.
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