providesupport I've recently had to log more than one customer complaint, with different companies. Here's the strat...
I've
recently had to log more than one customer complaint, with different companies.
Here's the strategy that worked for
me:
Never let 'em see you
sweat.
Even when the returns rep at one
company got somewhat defensive and borderline rude, I maintained my demeanor of
cool politeness. It helped that I knew she was genuinely in the wrong. If I'd
allowed her to fluster me - and worse, let her KNOW that - she'd have won a
victory. I wouldn't give her the satisfaction!
Be calm, NOT
confrontational. With not only the above-mentioned rep but a manager at
the Sears Installation Department, I politely (almost apologetically) stated my
case. Screaming, cursing, and other extreme behaviors would have destroyed my
credibility and allowed the reps to peg me as just another crank. If you're
upset, do whatever it takes to short-circuit the urge to scream, cry or curse
BEFORE you call. If you get that same urge in the middle of a call, STOP. Put
THEM on hold if necessary, or call back after you've calmed down. As I mentioned
above, don't give what may be a rude rep the satisfaction of even such a small
victory. If it's a nice rep, you'll only make his or her work day harder by
being nasty.
Be clear and concise.
If the Customer Service rep can't understand what you're complaining about, how
can they possibly resolve your issue? By the same token, there's no need to
relate your entire life history. Briefly explain the core issue and leave it at
that. Let the rep ask questions for clarification if necessary. If it helps,
pretend you're leaving a voice mail message. You only have 30-60 seconds to
state your case. Thinking this way should help distill your complaint into the
briefest possible terms.
Do your homework before you
dial. It helped that I knew pertinent dates and other information
necessary to resolving my issue. If you don't have everything, the rep can
usually look up your account with the information you do have.
Be patient and
persistent. Sometimes the first rep you speak to can't or won't solve
your issue. Sometimes they send you to "electronic limbo" hoping you'll give up
and go away. Rather than give them this victory, I've waited on hold for up to
20 minutes. I've also hung up and called right back to politely explain how long
I'd been on hold.
Take names. This can
help your case too, especially if you have to go over someone's head, as I
did.
Know when to go over the rep's head. When the Returns rep I'd spoken to became defensive, I knew it was time to take another route. I found a way to bypass her and go straight to the top in this case. I spoke to the General Manager of the company, who sent me to the rude rep's immediate supervisor. That got me results!
Know when to go over the rep's head. When the Returns rep I'd spoken to became defensive, I knew it was time to take another route. I found a way to bypass her and go straight to the top in this case. I spoke to the General Manager of the company, who sent me to the rude rep's immediate supervisor. That got me results!
Follow through. We
recently had two items we needed to return for repair or replacement, each going
to a separate location. When I discovered, to my dismay, the wrong package got
picked up, I called both involved companies immediately. The down side is, since
the mistake was on our end, we'll now have to foot the bill for postage to get
both packages to their separate locations.
Strategic, polite and
persistent customer complaints have netted me this month: anew
washing-machine manual, which should arrive any day; a $35 Sears gift card,
which hubby promised to spend on me rather than himself, LOL; a promise to
replace outright an item I'd sent in working condition for “evaluation,” that
came back broken; and a promise to repair or replace a second item, damaged due
to a power outage. (Yes, it was plugged in to a surge
suppressor.)
Ya gotta love companies that
take customer service seriously.
