We are in the people business and so inevitably, we will encounter customer complaints. How do you address customer complaints? Who in your office addresses complaints? In most cases that I have witnessed, the person who answers the phone or physically sits at the front desk is the person who fields the initial comnplaint. In my experience, these team members are seldom given any tools or training on how best to help customers and de-escalate the situation.
I have heard responses such as “Oh I dont know I am new here” to” Well that would be a question for our tax person but he is out today”. Horrible! And no fault of the team member, I hold management accountable. Management needs to teach andf train team members on best practices for conflict resolution and “complaints department” strategies.
Are you helping your team members address complaints?
In a few situations, I have heard upset customers be transferred two or more times to other team members only making the situation worse as each team member passes the customer on to someone else. Ugh!
So, lets talk about solutions. Complaints will happen. Situations will arise. Lets role play with our team. Let’s assign responsibility within our team. This is not difficutl stuff but it does need to be addressed and I highly recommend we do this work now before we get into the thick of busy season.
Reach out to me and let me help you get this done and done right.