By Unknown

Organisations can improve customer service by ensuring that they effectively manage complaints.

Hans Grefte, product development director at a case management systems firm, told MyCustomer.com that the recession had increased cost-cutting measures at the expense of customer service levels.

This focus on cost-cutting has resulted in an increasing number of customers publishing their complaints on social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook as well as internet forums.

It is an organisation’s responsibility to discover these complaints and attempt to address them in order to minimise any potential damage to reputation, which is likely to lead to less sales.

Mr Grefte pointed to research which revealed that a customer will tell on average nine people about their good experience if they complaints are dealt with in an appropriate manner.

The number of people told is dramatically increased, however, if a customer’s complaint is ignored or not handled properly and this could have seriously negative implications for an organisation.

Complaints management systems can automatically monitor online activity relating to an organisation by informing managers about any mentions, which allows them to take pre-emptive action to resolve the situation.

Mr Grefte told MyCustomer.com: “Meaningful and actionable reports need to be generated from the data, allowing particular weaknesses and areas of concern to be swiftly identified and addressed, minimising any potential damage as grievances go viral and online sympathisers join the crusade.”

Organisations can improve customer service and reduced their reliance on complaints management systems by applying systems thinking to their processes and points of transaction.

Systems thinking will enable people to view their organisation from a customer’s perspective as well as from a broader point of view by focusing on their company as a whole system rather than just various departments.

Experienced performance improvement consulting professionals are training in the understanding and practical application of systems thinking which can reduce mistakes and eliminating waste at all levels.

Performance improvement consultants use systems thinking to analyse and organisation and redesign processes in order to deliver outstanding results in almost any area of business and industry.

Meanwhile, two British airports have introduced holographic staff members in an attempt to make security processes easier to understand and enhance passenger’s overall experience.

Manchester and Luton airports are the first in the world to employ such technology, which will be rolled out across all their terminals if the trial is deemed to be successful.

Himsworth Consultancy is a leading Management Consultancy firm of senior business and peformance improvement consulting professionals that can improve customer service through the application of systems thinking. Click the links to find out more.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Martin_Hofschroer

http://EzineArticles.com/?Manage-Consumer-Complaints-to-Improve-Customer-Service&id=5884208

No one can please all of the people all of the time and that goes for doing business also. To effectively continue doing business while at the same time attracting new customers, you need to be able to successfully resolve consumer complaints.

This area of doing business should be just as important as creative marketing, because in essence, it is just that. How you, your business and your employees address complaints will either be viewed as successful marketing or simply “shooting yourself in the foot.”

Ample time should be spent on targeting the topic and providing adequate training to make sure each and everyone involved is on the “same page” when it comes to acting upon complaints.

Here are some basic guidelines to follow:

1. The number one human need is to be heard and understood. Keep this in mind when listening to the initial complaint. Listen to the entire complaint without offering any advice or suggestions until the consumer is finished. How you respond initially will set the tone and ultimately the outcome of how the consumer will view the final outcome or resolution.

2. Validate the consumer's feelings of frustration at not being satisfied with either the product or the service of the company. Everyone and every business will make mistakes. The first words that the consumer should hear are, “I'm sorry…”

3. Don't play the “blame game.” First of all, don't blame the consumer or start blaming others in the organization – this will only undermine your credibility or your authority. Don't offer excuses, this will undermine the validity of the complaint. This action will usually be construed by the consumer as just “passing the buck.”

4. If it is a matter that needs further investigation, by all means do just that, but at all times and in all areas, keep the consumer informed of the progress of that investigation. Even if you do not have any definitive information as of yet, relay that to the consumer also. Don't wait until the consumer gets irritated at not being kept in the loop and calls you back. This destroys all of the good efforts up to this point.

5. Offer a fair and equitable resolution. Most of the time, how the consumer is treated initially will be the resolution in itself. Considerate consumers will be the first to recognize the sincerity of the apology and will react accordingly. This will be a successful resolution for both parties.

Nancy A. Brain is a ballroom dance instructor, a public speaker, and a business owner. Her expertise is in the field of Alzheimer's and also in the area of marketing to the boomer generation.
http://boomermarketconsulting.wordpress.com
http://writebraininfo.wordpress.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nancy_Brain
http://EzineArticles.com/?Effectively-Responding-to-Consumer-Complaints&id=6092858

Complaints Gone 2.0

We can all understand the need and right to complain about products and services that do not meet our personal satisfaction standards. But, lately, I’ve noticed that even though we as humans tend to complain much faster than we praise, complaints have escalated dramatically. I’ve thought a lot about why this is happening and came up with a lot of reasons, but the primary ones appear to me to be one, the ease and speed with which we can now complain online; two, the many venues in which to place them online, and three, the increase in consumers’ concern with saving, not wasting, resources. Responsible spending is a good thing and a result of the not-so-good economic stress we’ve all felt in one way or another, but perhaps sometimes we might be a little too quick to complain these days.

Great Expectations

I agree the Internet can be a valid place to complain if it appears like this may be the only way to get satisfaction or response from a company when you’ve given them ample opportunity to resolve your complaint. I disagree we should voice our complaints in any venue online, and I submit we should first analyze in all honesty, whether or not we even really have a complaint before we act. What do I mean really have a complaint? Well, I believe at times we’ve all been guilty of not understanding or admitting our expectations were completely unmatched to the products or services we purchased. Believe me, I know life’s busy, but if we’d take a little more time to understand what a company offers, review descriptions, disclaimers or contracts, and ask questions, we’d eliminate a lot of miss-understandings and problems. Here’s a quick example.

Pepper on the Side

Yes. I really heard someone order that once and I’m not talking hot peppers, I mean the kind that comes from a shaker. Countless times, I’ve seen people try to change an entree so much the kitchen could never hope to get it right, and then when it comes wrong, the complaints begin. I know, I want it my way too, but we have to understand depending upon what type of establishment we are patronizing, some reasonable limits likely apply. You might just have to live with those tomatoes in that never-ending pasta bowl you’re getting for $9.99!

The Bureau

Look to the Better Business Bureau first when you have a valid complaint. This will help you and me because the BBB can usually get valid complaints resolved fairly, and they do a good job grading their members. This develops a good repository of companies for all of us to use for evaluation purposes. Many of the other complaint sites have been built just to capture your “copy” so they can go to the top of search engines like Google for free and sell advertising off your content. Yes, this is what they were built to do. They perform no service for us. They don’t resolve anything, nor respond in any way. If you use them for evaluation purposes, you have no idea of the validity of the content, nor do you have an idea of the size of the company (e.g., a small company should have proportionally less complaints than a larger competitor). Competitors often litter these sites too, and there is no identity requirement. They often do not depict a true picture of any company.

Lumped In

I’m lucky to be in a great company. We work hard to handle each complaint properly. We also don’t have a lot of complaints relative to the number of plans we sell, and we work hard to maintain an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau. But, nevertheless, we do get customers whose expectations are not necessarily matched to what we provide. An example is those who expect everything to be covered under their home warranty plan. Logic would dictate that when you buy a $400 warranty for the entire home, there will be exclusions, or warranty companies couldn’t exist. This is the fundamental concept of home warranties and other insurance plans. Home warranty plans cover normal wear and tear on systems and appliances in the plan. And most customers understand this concept, but those who don’t or don’t want to complain online anyway. Telling the good home warranty companies from the bad becomes almost impossible.

Hurting Everyone

When customers place invalid complaints online, it hurts us all. Every day our home warranties help customers save money, many times paying out more than the warranty cost. But when potential new customers read these unsupervised online sites first, they may not purchase coverage for their home. Then when they have a breakdown, they suffer the full expense themselves. It’s unfortunate.

Be Careful Out There

So, be careful how and where you complain, and do it only when you believe you have a legitimate issue. Also use a supervised venue like the BBB. Remember, too, if the company satisfied your complaint, it ends there. Only go online if you are going to praise the company for how they handled your problem.

Home Warranty of America (HWA)

Read more at our blog – [http://www.olliesorangehomewarranty.com/online-consumer-complaints-helping-or-hurting/]Ollie’s Orange Home Warranty

Home Warranty of America, Inc. of Buffalo Grove, IL, was founded in 1996 to provide home warranty coverage for houses, town homes, and condominiums. The Company has experienced remarkable growth to become a leading supplier of home warranties across the United States, and provides its services through real estate agents, insurance professionals, relocation companies, developers, title companies, bankers, home inspectors and mortgage brokers. The Company also provides its comprehensive home warranties directly to the homeowner and takes the worry out of buying and owning a home. The Company offers a 30-day, money back guarantee on every home warranty. More information is available at http://www.hwahomewarranty.com or by calling us at 1-888-492-7359.

Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Online-Consumer-Complaints,-Helping-or-Hurting?&id=5666119] Online Consumer Complaints, Helping or Hurting?