Learn to Love Complaining Clients

Covering the Complaints Checklist

So your client has a complaint? Fantastic! Here's how to deal with complaining clients:

Reward clients for complaining.
Listen to the complaints: "Please tell me exactly how we are failing you." Find out how the clients want it fixed: "Now, how can we make things right?"

Thank them.
"Thanks for bringing this problem to our attention. We appreciate this very much, because we're committed to providing the best widgets possible."

Apologize.
"I'm sorry that the quality of the widgets has not been to our usual standard."

Offer a solution.
"How would you feel if we delivered free replacement widgets immediately? We will, of course, also refund the full purchase price of the widgets. Is that acceptable to you?"

Get their agreement.
"Good, I'm so glad we can resolve this for you. I'll have them delivered to your business within the hour."

Fix the problem.
Deliver the widgets, and refund, within the hour.

Follow up.
"I'm calling to make sure that the widgets arrived and that they are the correct size. Are you happy with the way we've handled this problem?"

As you might notice, the client's problem is fixed, and they receive the benefit of free widgets for complaining. It's the old rule of delighting your customer: don't do what you say you will, do more! Here's one of my own experiences of a customer complaint, and our resolution of it:

Example 12.1. Complaint Resolution
My last complaint was from the client who'd asked us to register a domain name. The domain name was registered, and everything was fine ... until he complained! His complaint was that, although he'd received the invoice and all the technical details about his new domain name, he'd received nothing to prove that we'd actually registered the name.

As you might know, the only official verification that the domain name has been registered comes in the form of a confirmation email from the registrar, although you can always check the registrar's records. However, my client wanted something we don't normally provide. He wanted us to confirm that we had registered the domain name, and that we had registered it in his name. By following the steps above, it was easy to fix.

We followed the first three steps, and then offered the client several solution options to best meet his needs. Did he want:

• A copy of the confirmation of registration email?
• A copy of the registrar's record of registration?
• A signed letter from us confirming the registration?
• A signed certificate from us confirming domain name ownership?
• Something else that we hadn't considered?

Interestingly, the client opted for the signed certificate from us as proof of the domain name registration.

We designed a certification using Microsoft Publisher, printed it off, signed it, put it in a frame, and sent it to him. The client was very pleased to receive a nicely framed certificate of domain name ownership.

Now, thanks to this client, we realized that clients might need reassurance that we have actually registered their domain: we simply hadn't thought of that before. We now provide this as an optional means by which we can advise them that their domain has been registered. Believe it or not, that easily obtained certificate provides our business with a point of differentiation.

Key Points

• Don't take complaints personally or be defensive.
• Thank the complainant, apologize, offer a solution, get their agreement to the solution, and fix the problem.
• Follow up to make sure that the complainant is happy with the resolution.
• Use complaints as ideas to improve your business.

Asking for Complaints

If you sit and wait for complaints to come in, you're like almost every other business. As we know, most businesses fail. Don't do what they do; do something different.

The impact that dissatisfied clients can have on your business can be devastating. You need to seek out and deal with every dissatisfied client. Your potential for success will increase with every complaint you can find!

We know that just 4% of dissatisfied customers actually complain. Now, that figure obviously varies according to the research you read, but the point is that not many dissatisfied clients complain. They just go elsewhere without telling you. So, ask for complaints -- you need them.

Asking for complaints is better than responding to complaints only after some gutsy clients get up the nerve to voice their issues. When you finish a project for your clients, have a meeting with them. Tell them you've been thrilled to have their business, and that you're working very hard to build a business with the highest level of client service possible. Then ask:

• "How did we do?"
• "How could we have done better?"
• "If you were me, what else would you have done?"

Don't just ask, "Are you happy with everything?" Ask specifically for a complaint: "Luis, we strive to provide the absolute best service we can. Can you think of any particular instance when you've thought an area of our service hasn't been absolutely satisfactory? I'd love to know how we haven't been perfect for you, because I want to make it right. We're trying to build a decent business here and this sort of feedback helps us to provide the absolute best in client service." And ask it like you mean it!

Here's the text of a poster we've used to elicit complaints from some of our clients. Try it out and see what reaction you elicit:

Example 12.2. A Poster that Just Asks for Complaints

Thanks for your business!

We want everything to go perfectly ... but we know sometimes it doesn't.

If something wasn't right, please let us know.

Call us at 555-5555 so we can make it right straight away.

Many businesses have customer service departments to deal with complaints, but that's not good enough -- only 4% of people complain. You've got to relentlessly dig up every complaint about your business that you can find. Only then will you be able to fix the things that are holding you back from greater business success.

Get out there and ask.

Saying Sorry

When do you say sorry? Whenever you should.

Let's assume that you've redirected your client's emails to the wrong email address, and the client rings you with the bad news. Do you say, "Well, there appear to have been some technical issues affecting the redirect. I've fixed them now and there shouldn't be any more problems." Or do you confess, "Thanks for letting me know. I'm terribly sorry, but I've made an awful mistake and redirected your emails to the wrong address. It is my fault entirely. I'll fix it immediately. Is that okay with you?"

Clients usually know intuitively when you're trying to fool them, and they won't tolerate it. Do it once, and you just might get away with it. Do it twice, and you're gone.

A trend that's becoming all too widespread in business today is the philosophy of never saying sorry. The theory seems to be that to apologize is to admit liability, and being found liable can lead to problems. However, most clients I've come across aren't out to bring your business to its knees. They, like you, are only human; they understand mistakes and they'll forgive your errors. If you fouled up, admit it, apologize sincerely, fix it, and move on.

Your honesty, integrity, and reputation are your three main assets. Once you've lost them, they're gone forever.

Telling a Client they're Wrong

There will be times when your clients will be confused, completely bamboozled, mistaken, or just plain wrong!

So, what do you say to clients who believe they are 100% right, when they're obviously wrong? You tell them they're wrong! Do it with tact, do it with care -- but tell them. Don't lie and tell them they're right, just because they're the customer. We had a client recently who wanted his web site edited. He gave me the site's domain name, but when I checked, it wasn't there. I went back to my client -- he insisted that the domain name was correct, and that the site had been at that domain for five years. He also told me that the he'd never visited the site before. I checked again and again. I checked .com, .net, .org, .tv. I did searches, I sent emails, but I couldn't find that site. I finally confirmed that the domain name had never been registered and was, in fact, available for registration. I rang the client and faxed him through the confirmation that the name had never been registered. The client still insisted that I was wrong. "I don't know what you've done with the domain name!" he cried.

Now, while it's fine to tell the client tactfully that they're wrong, never, ever argue with them. They're a precious part of your business. That's why I didn't say, "No, you're wrong and I'm right. That isn't the domain name, and that's all there is to it. You're wrong!" Instead, I phrased it more gently: "It doesn't appear that this site is currently registered -- here's the documentation to back that up. Our next options are this, this, and this."

I eventually managed to convince my client, with the assistance of documentation, that the domain name was not, and had never been, registered. Yes, I did tell him he was wrong, but only in the nicest possible way.

Taking the Blame

One of our web businesses experienced a very large increase in orders over a two-week period. Our manufacturer couldn't keep up with demand and we had delays of almost a month in filling orders. However, by the time we were finished with our crisis management, not one person had become upset. Not one person canceled an order. Not one person complained. Hundreds wrote and thanked us. Our simple strategy was this: we wrote an email to our customers, all 1,000 of them. We told them that since we'd made the mistake of underestimating the huge demand, we did not have enough stock to fill their orders immediately. The estimated time of arrival for their product was one month. We apologized for the delay and we took full responsibility for it.

Take full responsibility -- problems aren't the client's fault.

Our message was not, "Due to huge demand our manufacturer has been unable to supply us," but instead a sincere, "Wow! We certainly didn't anticipate the response to our marketing strategy that we've had. It's completely our fault that we don't have enough stock ... we're sorry." We told them that we'd understand if they wanted to cancel their orders, as we hadn't met our part of the bargain, but at the same time, we urged them to wait, and we'd ship their product as soon as possible.

Incredibly, the only responses we received were positive messages saying, "Thanks for keeping us informed!" It was unbelievable; I expected quite a few irate messages, but we didn't receive a single one. We then emailed the waiting customers an update every week. Again, more emails of thanks flooded in. When we finally shipped out, every customer received a small gift, along with a personalized letter of apology.

What looked like a disaster turned out to be a triumph, of sorts. We maintained close contact with the customers, developed the perception that we were trustworthy and ethical, and we even eventually exceeded customers' expectations with the gift. I'd guess that the 1,000 customers we kept waiting for a month would have higher repurchase rates than those of the customers we served immediately. Our research shows that clients who complain, and whose complaints are satisfactorily resolved, are more loyal than those who never had a problem! As we've discussed, this effect is related to the perceived risk of dealing with you. Treat clients with respect and reason, and you'll receive the same treatment in return.

Now, obviously products are different from services, and the contracting of web development services is different to my online store's fulfillment problem.

Failing to Satisfy Clients with your Design

A web site is different from any other product -- it's a very subjective item.

What if your client complains about the design of the site? Surely, being the hot designer that you are, you're much better qualified to judge what's best. Right?

Wrong. There's no such thing as good web site design: it is subjective. Depending on what side of the fence you're on, the design can look great or it can look like garbage. Whose fault is it if you do a wonderful design and the client complains about it? It's yours. You should have educated the client every step of the way and made the design a consultative process. This is the very same reason why your guarantee should never be called in. If you closely consult with your clients and keep them fully educated about the whys and wherefores of the design, then you will have happy clients.

In short, if you don't pay attention to your clients, they have excellent grounds for complaint.

Dealing with the Client on the War Path

As I've mentioned before, it's quite an art form to identify what prospects will be like to deal with as clients. We want to work with people in a cooperative and receptive way so that we can provide them with the best care. Imagine a scenario where a client become very aggressive and adversarial. What then?

Over the years, I've dealt with grumpy clients, upset clients, and very irate and aggressive clients. I've dealt with them in different situations and in different ways, mostly defusing the situation and resolving the issue. However, we simply won't deal with people who are abusive. We just tell those clients, "Your behavior is inappropriate and I refuse to enter any dialogue concerning these issues. I will send you a refund check tomorrow. Goodbye."

I've seen the destructive impact that a very aggressive client can have. It's all negativity, lost focus, and apprehension. The relationship might go on, but the rules have changed and you're not working in a partnership anymore. It's usually an uncomfortable, touchy, and anxious period. Negative people suck the energy out of you and your team and you'll start going backwards very quickly, as we saw in Chapter 11, Dealing with Pesky Clients. You want to work with great people who pay well -- don't accept anything less. This may not be the right strategy for everyone, but it's certainly the right strategy for me at this point in my business.

Indeed, business is about making money, and defusing aggressive clients so you can continue the business relationship can be a good way to maximize your income. However, there's more to my business than just money. I want my business to be about cooperation, not confrontation. I want it to be mutually beneficial for my clients and myself. I want my team to enjoy their work. I can't meet any of these goals if I have abusive clients.

If clients become aggressive, shouting and swearing, and they're no longer listening to you or behaving professionally, then it's time to make a decision. Do you want to work with these people? I would say no, not just due to the deteriorated relationship, but because you deserve to expect a level of professionalism. Common decency should be inherent in all our relationships, to help us grow our businesses and grow as people.

It's been my experience that abusive clients just aren't worth the time and hassle it takes to deal with them. Cut them loose and move on. It will be a short-term pain for a long-term gain.

Key Points

• Don't hesitate to apologize, do it sincerely, and protect your business's integrity, and reputation by going the extra mile to resolve the problem.
• When clients are wrong, break it to them gently.
• Closely consult with clients when developing a subjective item such as a web site, and educate them as to its value.
• Don't tolerate clients who become abusive and can't be managed professionally -- cut them loose.

Summary

You will make mistakes in your business -- that you can be sure of. You will receive complaints, and that's another truth you can be sure of.

Don't look upon complaints as negative or destructive. Embrace every complaint and treat it for what it is -- a fantastic opportunity to build your business. Treat with care every person who complains, deal with their issues swiftly and with good sense, and you'll have a client -- and an advocate -- for life. That person who complains about you is the very same person who will be soon be singing your praises -- if you deal appropriately with their problem.

Due to their incredible worth, you must actively seek out complaints. In this chapter, we've discussed the amazing value of complaints, and we've seen how responding with a positive, effective solution can inspire client loyalty. We also understand that effective complaints handling is like winning a new client, and increases your referral business. Download this chapter and keep it handy as you build relationships with -- and ask for, and respond to complaints from -- your clients. It'll prove to be a very handy guide. And don't forget to check out the full table of contents from The Web Design Business Kit 2.0 for more information on what the kit covers.

Make your business the distinctive and dynamic enterprise it can be. Go out on a limb, push the boundaries, and create something great. You can do it. Grab a big advantage by treating those complaining clients like the wonderfully open, honest, and useful people they are!