What stops customers complaining to you

What stops customers

complaining (to you)@canhoto

www.anacanhoto.com

© Ana Isabel Canhoto 2015

My name is Ana Canhoto.

I am a marketing

academic, teaching and

researching the role of

digital technology and

digital information on

customer management –

for instance, to develop

better customer insight, or

to improve customer

service.© Ana Isabel Canhoto 2015

You wish customers had only good things to

say about your company.




But, sometimes, things will go wrong, and

customers complain.





customers complain. They talk about you

on their social media updates.






on their social media updates. They write

blog posts.







blog posts. Some even make videos.







blog posts. Some even make videos.

And the worst part is that these comments

will stay online, influencing future

customers, long after the initial problem has

been solved.


When something goes wrong, you

really want customers to complain

directly to you.


When something goes wrong, you

really want customers to complain

directly to you.

So… what’s stopping them?


I am going to show you the

3 most common barriersstopping customers from

complaining directly to you.


READY?


First, put yourself in your customer’s

shoes. Your customer is frustrated

because:




because:

- s/he got the wrong product,




because:


- it took too long for that meal to

arrive,




because:


- it took too long for that meal to

arrive,

- or that gadget broke down, already.


Why would they put themselves

through the hassle of filling out a long

and complicated form, calling an

expensive number or waiting for the

relevant manager to be available?


Why would they put themselves

through the hassle of filling out a long

and complicated form, calling an

expensive number or waiting for the

relevant manager to be available?

This is the first barrier…


Complaining is

unpleasant

Dissatisfied customers will not

contact you if complaining is, frankly,

a pain.


Complaining is

unpleasant

Dissatisfied customers will not

contact you if complaining is, frankly,

a pain.

So, take the first step. Reach out to

your customer.© Ana Isabel Canhoto 2015

Ask them whether they are

happy with their purchase, use

feedback cards, subscribe to a

customer feedback service,

etc…


Ask them whether they are

happy with their purchase, use

feedback cards, subscribe to a

customer feedback service,

etc…

Just make sure that you are

asking the right questions, or the

feedback received will be

useless.© Ana Isabel Canhoto 2015

Complaining is

complicated

Customers need to have clarity about

where and how to log their complaint.


Complaining is

complicated

Customers need to have clarity about

where and how to log their complaint.

So, let them know how to reach you.


Have the contact details

clearly displayed in your

website, your social media

channels, and your product

packaging.

Also…


FAQs pages on your website can be helpful and cost effective.

But they can also be very frustrating.

Make it really easy for customers to find the contacts to your customer support team via the search box in your website.


Complaining is subjective

Not all consumption experiences

are the same and, so, not all

customers complain for the same

reason.


Complaining is subjective

Not all consumption experiences are the same and, so, not all customers complain for the same reason.

Research shows that the reason for complaining influences how customers complain. So, you need to have multiple ways of capturing complaints


Dissatisfied customers may

contact you for one of two

reasons:

• to get compensation, or

• to vent their frustration.


Customers seeking compensation prefer interactive channels such as:

• Face-to-face

• Telephone

• Web-chats

• Or other forms of direct interaction with you.


Conversely, customers who

want to express their frustration

prefer remote channels like:

• Letters

• E-mails

• Or feedback cards.


Let’s recall what we

discussed.


These are the 3 barriers stopping

unhappy customers from complaining to

you, directly:


Barrier So…

It prolongs an

unpleasant experience.

You need to take the first step.

They don’t know where

or how to reach you.

Make it super easy to find you.

Your channels do not

meet their needs or

preferences.

Provide interactive channels for

customers seeking compensation,

and remote channels for

customers wishing to vent their

frustration.

Want to know more?

Join the discussion at:

• www.anacanhoto.com

• @canhoto


Business

What stops customers complaining to you