When no complaints is cause for worry

When no complaints is cause for worry

For many organizations the number of complaints is a measure of the effectiveness of their quality processes and systems. Unfortunately this assumption is flawed. If customers are not complaining, they assume the customers are satisfied. Research by USA's Technical Assistance Research Program clearly shows that if customers are not complaining they have less loyalty and could take their business elsewhere.

But why don't customers complain? More often than not, it is because the customers either do not know where to complain, or the process is too cumbersome. It is the onus of the organization to create an infrastructure that encourages customers to complain. I call them the 5As of a complaint management system.

Accessibility: often customers do not know where and how to complain. Communicate to the customers as to whom they should get in touch with, should there be a problem. If it is a toll free number, make it visible on your products or at the location where service is provided. Do not just have one channel for complaints but provide a mix of telephone, email and fax. Whatever channel the customer takes, the complaints should get entered into one central system from where actions can be initiated.

Agility: an effective complaint system should provide quick response to customers. By acknowledging the complaint and informing the customer that the complaint is being investigated; getting back to the customer after the complaint has been resolved with an assurance that it shall not recur again. The process of resolution should be laced with a sense of urgency and personal touch. Never respond with a generic letter starting with "Dear Customer". The endeavor should be to disarm the customer through actively listening, apologizing for the problem and if possible doing something to correct the problem. The latter could be by providing a gift hamper or a complimentary room in hotel or paying for not meeting a service guarantee as in a bank. Remember, accept the mistake but don't be defensive.

Ability: the ability creation should begin with convincing the representatives that there is nothing more important than keeping customers happy. This should be followed by assimilating the basic skills required for effective customer service. Train the representative on specific techniques to convert irate customers to opportunities to build successful relationships.

Authority: empower customer services representatives. They should be able to take decisions if the customer is peeved. At McDonald's for example, if your meal is not provided within the specified time, the customer representative is empowered to provide the meal free of cost.

Arsenal: This refers to the central database which stores the customer and complaint details. Whenever a customer gets in touch with a customer care center, the details of the customer's interaction pops up in the computer in front of the representative. It provides the demographics and the history of the type of business relationship the customer has had with the organization.

The system captures all details from the time the customer gets in touch with the organization with the complaint, till it is resolved. It also tracks the time taken to resolve a complaint and forwards the complaint to the relevant person for resolution. Remember, this database is the heart of the complaint management system and is imperative for efficient and speedy complaint redressal.

Debashis Sarkar
Source: The Smart Manager