Handling Customer Complaints

A complaint is a customer telling you something went wrong while there is still time to fix it. Many unhappy customers say nothing and simply stop coming back, so the one in front of you is giving you a chance the others did not. How you respond in the first minute usually decides whether this ends with a fix or a shouting match. These skills work the same at a store counter, a coffee bar, a parts desk, a front office, on the phone, or at a customer's door.

What You Will Be Able to Do

• Work through a complaint in order: hear it, show you understand, apologize, act.
• Find out what the customer wants, and offer a fix that is within your authority.
• Respond to a customer who is wrong, or who caused the problem, without blaming them.
• Set a respectful limit when a customer becomes abusive, and bring in a manager at the right moment.
• Recognize when a complaint has turned into a safety problem, and get away from it.

The HEAT Method

HEAT is a simple order of steps. The order matters, because a fix offered before someone feels heard often gets rejected, even when it is a good fix.

H: Hear Them Out

Stop what you are doing and face the customer. Let them finish without interrupting, even if you already know the answer. Many people need to tell the whole story before they can listen to you. Keep your body language neutral: no crossed arms, sighing or eye rolls. Then say back what you heard, so you both know you have it right. "So the drill stopped working after one use, and this is your second trip in. Is that right?"

E: Empathize

Empathy means understanding how this feels from the customer's side. It is different from sympathy, which is feeling sorry for someone from a distance. "I can see why that's frustrating after you took time off to come back" is empathy. "That's too bad" is sympathy, and it often makes people angrier.

A: Apologize

Apologize for the experience, in plain words. "I'm sorry this happened" does not mean you are admitting fault or blaming a coworker. It tells the customer you take the problem seriously. Skip excuses such as "we're short-staffed today." They sound like the customer is supposed to feel sorry for you.

T: Take Action

Say exactly what you will do, and when. Then do it. Good action follows four short steps:

1. Ask what would make this right, if it is not clear. Sometimes the customer wants less than you think.
2. Offer the best option you are allowed to give. Say what you can do, not what you can't. "Let me see what I can do" keeps you on the same side as the customer.
3. Check that they agree. "Would that work for you?"
4. Finish it now if you can. If you can't, give a specific time, and keep it. "I'll call you by 3:00 today with an answer."

Fixes You Can Offer

Learn what you are allowed to do before you need it. Employers set these limits, so ask on your first week what you can approve yourself and what needs a manager.

Never promise something you cannot deliver. A broken second promise does more damage than the first problem did.

When the Customer Is Wrong

Sometimes a customer misread the sign, used the product incorrectly, or caused the issue themselves. Winning the argument gains you nothing. Put your attention on the solution, then pass along what they need to know in a way that saves face.

Instead of "You installed it backwards," try "Let's get this working for you. These go in with the arrow facing up, and it's easy to miss. Here's how you can tell next time."

If a policy really does stop you from giving them what they want, explain what the policy means for them, and offer whatever you can do instead. Don't hide behind "that's just the policy," and don't criticize the policy or a coworker to win the customer over.

Lowering the Temperature

When someone is very upset, your calm is the most useful tool you have.

• Speak lower and slower. Matching their volume pushes the conversation up. A quiet voice tends to bring it down.
• Use their name if you know it, and not in every sentence.
• Offer a quieter spot if you are in front of other customers, as long as you stay in view of coworkers or cameras.
• Don't take it personally. They are almost always angry at the situation, not at you.
• Avoid trigger phrases. "Calm down," "you need to," and "that's not my job" tend to make things worse.

Setting a Limit With an Abusive Customer

You are expected to be patient. You are not expected to be abused. Frustration aimed at a problem is normal. Insults, slurs and personal attacks aimed at you are not. When a customer crosses that line, stay calm and name the limit once, clearly:

"I want to help you get this fixed, and I need us to speak respectfully. If we can do that, let's keep going."

If it stops, carry on with the fix and do not bring it up again. If it continues, tell them you are getting a manager, and do it. On the phone, follow your employer's rule for ending an abusive call, which usually means one warning first.

Knowing When to Escalate

Bringing in a manager is good judgment, not failure. Escalate when:

• The fix is beyond your authority.
• You have tried what you can and the customer still is not satisfied.
• The customer asks for a manager. Don't argue or stall.
• The abuse continues after you have set a limit.
• The complaint involves an injury, a food allergy reaction, a legal threat, or a claim that someone was discriminated against. Follow your employer's procedure, and stick to the facts.

Make the handoff warm. Tell the manager the whole story in front of the customer, so they do not have to repeat it. "This is Ms. Ortiz. Her order arrived damaged twice, and she'd like a replacement sent today."

When It Turns Hostile

A complaint stops being a service problem when someone might get hurt. At that point the goal changes from solving the complaint to getting everyone away safely.

Warning signs include a customer who moves into your space, makes threats, clenches their fists, throws or hits things, blocks your way out, or seems out of control.

Warning: If a customer threatens you, blocks your exit, throws something or shows a weapon, stop trying to resolve the complaint. Move away to a safe place and alert a manager. Call 911 if anyone is in danger.

Follow these steps as things start to heat up:

1. Keep distance, and keep a counter or table between you if you can.
2. Stay near an exit, and do not let the customer stand between you and it.
3. Keep your hands visible and open. Do not touch the customer, even to calm them.
4. Signal a coworker using whatever code or alarm your workplace has.
5. Leave if you can. If you are alone at a customer's home or job site, walk out and call your office from somewhere safe.
6. Do not follow the person when they go. Note what they looked like, and which way they went.
7. Report it the same day, even if no one was hurt.

Complaints in Writing and Online

The same steps apply, but your words last, and strangers may read them.

• Email and chat: Acknowledge the problem in the first line, give a clear answer or next step, and proofread before you send.
• Public posts and reviews: Reply politely and quickly in public, so others can see you care. Then move the details to private messages. "We're sorry about this. Please send us a direct message with your order number so we can fix it." Only reply if your employer allows you to. Never argue, and never post a customer's personal information.

After It Is Resolved

Follow up if there is a way to. A short call or message after the fix confirms that it worked, catches anything left over, and shows you care about more than closing the ticket.

Write down what happened, as your employer requires. If several customers complain about the same thing, tell your supervisor, because that points to a problem with the business and not with the customers.

Handling a problem well can leave a customer more loyal than before. This effect is called the service recovery paradox: someone whose problem was fixed well may think better of the business than someone who never had a problem. Research is mixed on how often this happens, and it does not work for repeat failures. It is a reason to take recovery seriously, not a reason to accept mistakes.

Common Mistakes

Check Your Understanding

1. A customer drops a stained jacket on your counter and starts talking fast. You can see the stain came from something they spilled. What do you do first?

Let them finish, then show you understand how frustrating it is. Don't point out whose fault it was. Move to what you can do, and if it helps, mention how to treat that kind of stain next time.

2. A caller has been swearing about a late delivery. You asked once for respectful language and they called you a name again. What now?

Stay calm and tell them you are bringing in a manager, or follow your employer's rule for ending the call. You have already set the limit, so follow through on it.

3. You offered a replacement, but the customer wants a refund you are not allowed to give. What is the next step?

Tell them what you can do, and bring in someone who can approve the refund. Give that person the full story so the customer does not have to repeat it.

4. A customer leans over the counter and says he will be waiting for you outside after your shift. What should you do?

The complaint is over, and this is now a safety issue. Step away, alert a manager, and call 911 if you think the danger is immediate. Don't walk out alone. Report exactly what he said, and get help leaving the building.

Key Takeaways

• Follow HEAT in order: hear them out, empathize, apologize, take action.
• Focus on what you can do, and promise only what you can deliver.
• Fix the problem without blaming the customer, even if they caused it.
• Set a limit once, calmly, and follow through by bringing in a manager.
• If you feel unsafe, stop solving the complaint and get to safety.
• Follow up, and report patterns so the cause gets fixed.