By: Amy Musgrave
Small businesses should not view customer complaints as an attack, but rather as a way to refine their offerings and increase customer satisfaction, according to Palesa Mabasa, who is the business development head for SME funding at FNB. “A customer who takes the time to complain is offering you priceless insights into their needs and expectations, and those of many other customers,” she said. “So, a well-managed complaint can be an opportunity to enhance your relationship with the customer and transform them into a loyal advocate for your brand.”
Mabasa’s advice is in line with Business Partners Ltd SME Toolkit, which advocates for companies to consider customer complaint line management services. Not only does it help build trust between businesses and customers, it also relieves work pressure on employees and happy customers bring in more money. FNB Commercial head of customer experience, Maropeng Ngoasheng, agrees that to successfully turn a complaint from a risk to an opportunity, there are certain guidelines that any business needs to follow, including establishing a comprehensive complaints-handling framework.
“Ignoring a complaint poses a severe risk to the customer relationship as well as the business’s reputation. So, you need to aim to respond quickly, preferably on the same platform where the complaint was made,” she said, Also, it is imperative to have a clear escalation procedure in place if a matter is not resolved initially. “It is impractical for all complaints to go to one person, especially not the owner. So, be sure to empower your staff to resolve issues independently.”
Mabasa said it was just as important that all employees, and not just the sales team, were trained in complaint resolution. This was because customers might approach anyone in the store or business with a complaint. Staff training should include techniques for staying calm and respectful, de-escalating situations, and handling abusive customers.
Also, while email auto-responses were acceptable for customer queries, they may not be suitable for initial responses to complaints as they could make customers feel that their concerns were not been taken seriously. “If you use an auto-response, ensure it includes a commitment to a personalised follow-up within a specific timeframe. And then make sure that you always keep that promise,” advised Mabasa.
Above all, businesses had to be proactive as prevention was better than cure, said Ngoasheng. “Only a small percentage of unhappy customers actually voice their complaints, and this poses a risk to your company since silent dissatisfaction can lead to lost business without any opportunity for rectification.” She recommended proactively seeking feedback from customers to uncover potential issues before they became formal complaints and then leveraging innovation and continuous improvement to operational processes to proactively drive better customer service and an improved overall experience. “Implement regular feedback mechanisms, such as post-transaction surveys or annual reviews, to gather customer insights.
“Make the process straightforward to encourage participation and when potential issues or great ideas are identified, ensure there’s a system to address and acknowledge them, reinforcing to customers that their feedback is heard and valued,” said Ngoasheng. In a competitive environment, excellent customer service is crucial for smaller businesses that want to stand out from their competitors and attract more clients.
