When you work in an earnest effort with you customers who have complaints you strengthen your relationship with them…and in many cases they will become you strongest supporters. Take advantage of the opportunities whenever possible.

• Don’t look upon complaint management as external to “real business.” If handled correctly, it can generate revenue and improve customer loyalty.

• Don’t assume that when a complaints-procedure has been adopted, the task is over. It must be constantly monitored, refined and upgraded.

• Don’t allow your advertising or sales department to raise customer expectations above your ability to satisfy them. This is a sure way to encourage resentment and increase complaints.

• Don’t assume you know what customers want. Keep asking them regularly.

• Don’t assume that because customers haven’t complained, they are satisfied.

• Don’t become complacent—even if you are alone in the marketplace or a market leader, things could change.

• Don’t forget your reputation is hard to establish, but easy to lose. Complaints need to be resolved swiftly, or dissatisfaction can spread through your customer base.

• Don’t view complaints as disasters, but as a way to improve your service.

• Don’t assume the person complaining is trying to “con” you. They’re telling you clearly what they expected and their perception of what they received.

• Above all, don’t forget the value of a complaint. It’s far better to hear something negative from a customer than to never hear from them again.

When selecting a trade exchange (barter company) to work with, it is wise to do your homework…talk with other exchange members about the exchange’s customer service in addition to the availabilities (goods & services).

This entry was posted on Saturday, June 30th, 2007 at 4:50 am and is filed under Entrepreneurs & Small Business. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.