The Web Design Business Kit Chapter 11 - Handle Client Complaints

Fix It—Quick!

Providing a swift resolution to complaints can have the wonderful effect of increasing client loyalty beyond the level that would have been achieved had the problem never occurred. Why? Because the client remembers that extra touch that you provided to resolve the situation quickly, and exceed their expectations.

As we've discussed, making a purchase carries a perceived risk. Your clients might be asking themselves:

• "Will I get good value?"
• "Will he run off with my deposit?"
• "Will she give me what I want?"

These are three fairly common concerns of people who are in the market for a Website. But eventually, the prospects take the risk and buy from you. Excellent!

Now, imagine that something goes wrong. This is not so excellent. The clients complain to you, feeling a little anxious that they haven't received what they paid for, and you fix it. Excellent!

Now, you may be thinking that you've simply resolved a compliant. But what you've really done is reduce those clients' perceived risk in buying from you. They now know that if they buy from you, they will receive what they paid for. Importantly, they know that if there is the slightest problem, you will fix it. As such, they'll be more likely to buy from you again.

The lower the perceived risk, the more likely clients are to buy from you.

As I've mentioned, my business offers a no-hassle, 100% money-back guarantee. We do that for a couple of reasons. First, it reduces the perceived risk for someone who's thinking of buying our services (though there is still a risk for buyers, as they may not know us and might not be confident that we'll honour our guarantee).

Our 100% money-back guarantee also ensures that our clients receive exactly what they paid for. After all, if we don't give them what they paid for, we shouldn't get paid. Simple.

The last complaint we received remains fairly clear in my mind. We registered a domain name for a client and sent him the invoice along with the technical details of the site (usernames, passwords, registrar, and other information). A Reply Paid envelope (to encourage a quick response—no stamp required!), and a letter thanking the client for the business accompanied these documents.

We had registered the domain name on the same day that the client made the request to us, and we sent off the information about the registration the next day. This is what we've always done, and I thought it was pretty smooth…

Until the client complained. I'm glad he did, because when he complained he gave me an excellent insight into what our clients might be thinking. He also gave me an opportunity to fix his problem and provide better service to all our clients in the future. How?

You'll see in just a moment.

The Cost Of A Good Complaint

Remember, the more complaints you hear about, the more complaints you can effectively address.

A complaint means you have the chance to generate more business from these clients that you wouldn't have otherwise received. The more complaints you hear about and deal with, the fewer dissatisfied clients you'll have talking to friends and colleagues about their bad experience with your business.

Don't think of what it will cost to fix a complaint. Think of what it will cost if you don't fix it.

Key Points

• Complaining clients tell you what's wrong with your service—you can fix it only if you know about it.
• Quickly fixed complaints increase client loyalty.
• Fixing complaints reduces that client's perceived risk of doing business with you.
• What will it cost to fix a complaint? Think of what it will cost if you don't!