Do you want some top-notch consulting for free? It’s simple: listen to your customers’ complaints. Of course it would be better if complaints were not necessary at all, but if something is bothering him, the best thing that can happen to your business is when the customer lets out all of his thoughts.

The companies that are customer focused know how to act on the good and bad moments. Besides creating a differentiated internal culture, these companies know how to use these opportunities to transform a negative situation into an improvement for its business and increase customer satisfaction.

If you pretend to do something regarding your customers’ complaints, consider the following thoughts:

Measure every communication channel. Determine every possible way that your company communicates with the customer. In all of them there must be a process to register their complaints or unmet needs. This data must lead to statistics and information that will be the basis for corrective and preventive actions.

The data capture and analysis system will be as complex as your organization. For some companies, a simple Excel spreadsheet could be enough, while others will need complete CRM systems integrated with internet forms, analytics, databases, etc. If your system is too simple, you won’t be able to handle the information, if it is too complex, a lot of unnecessary energy will be wasted managing it.

Create a continuous improvement culture in your company. If you terrorize your employees every time a customer complaint arrives, they will probably hide the problems in the future. Instead, try to make them conscious that these complaints are important for the company’s benefit as well as theirs.

If you got to the point where you have to scream with an employee, he probably shouldn’t be there anymore. Create a teamwork culture, which is proactive and focused on results and benefits. It’s much better to set a bonus for an increase in customer satisfaction than threatening to fire them if the goal is not reached.

Train your staff. Your team must be adequately trained in customer relations. It’s very easy to deal with a satisfied customer. The problem is when stressing situations occur, and if the employee does not react the correct way, he will only be making things worse.

Each employee that has contact with the customer must know how to keep calm and show a real intention of solving the problem. In this moment, the customer wants action, and your team must have some level of authority over decision making.

Turn the situation around. Besides using the complaints to correct errors in your company, it’s the perfect moment to strongly increase customer loyalty. Remember that that if the customer complained, it’s because a need was not satisfied. If you react by satisfying that need and offering something extra that he does not expect, he will immediately change his opinion.

The customer knows that errors occur. The problem is when the company shows indifference or takes too long to react. Think about yourself as a customer: how many companies really surprised you positively after you made a complaint? Probably very few, or none, and if you remember it’s surely a company you now admire. You can take this opportunity to create a strong difference between you and your competitors and gain double customer satisfaction.

By the way, when I am extremely mad at a company, I choose not to complain… they’ll probably make the same mistake with other customers and lose business.