Customer complaints can be frustrating and daunting at times. While they are often seen as interruptions and problems, they can actually be turned into great insight. They are from people who were passionate enough to say something to you. They could have just walked away silently, but they wanted to make their feelings known so that things could improve. If you want your business to grow in any way, you need these movements. They should be treated as opportunities and not frustrating irritations.
If you are looking to build something with intention, you simply cannot ignore complaints and what they are actually pointing to. Whether you are trying to start a business and succeed, feedback of any kind is valuable data. You can’t just expect people to tell you what you want to hear. You must know how to read into this data and respond to it accordingly, of course. It’s a skill to turn complaints into momentum. It’s something that will be shaped over time by shifting your culture and not jumping to solutions before you know the right answers. Here are a few methods of turning complaints into growth:
Don’t Just Track Incidents – Look for Patterns
One complaint can feel isolated – especially if it is a rare point that has been made. A dozen or so of these complaints will tell you a lot more, however. If you want to grow through feedback, you must learn to zoom out, analyze and get a better perspective. Instead of jumping into every single issue, you should step back and study the pattern. Take a look at what is being exposed and what is repeating. With this, you will evolve.
Let Your Customers Write the Script
Of course, you will have to take authority on things, but you must not become so polished by your own messaging. You mustn’t forget how customers actually speak and feel. They will offer raw, honest, unfiltered insight into what is expected. You can use these in your own messaging and development. This kind of move will build alignment as customers will hear their own frustrations acknowledged properly.
Train Staff in Emotional Resilience
A lot of customer service training focuses on scripts and step-by-step instructions. The emotional tone, however, is something that can actually shift a conversation. Your staff members will be able to absorb tension and respond without escalating. Make sure that Training includes resilience in terms of taking feedback without personalizing it and listening beneath the surface. Service can turn into a great connection this way.
Public Feedback Loops
While private apologies can solve an issue, they may not necessarily lead to growth. Closing the loop publicly means that customers can see their voice has a significant impact. Disclosing policy changes and an improved user experience can be a great way of repairing and building a relationship. They will show that customers’ feedback will matter in the future, too. Complaints should pretty much always lead to visible shifts and not quite fixes that happen behind everyone’s back.
