COURSE OVERVIEW:

Customer complaints can be defined as the gaps between what business promises in terms of the product or services and what customers get. It is a mismatch between how customers perceive the brand and where they fail to get the desired customer service experience.

Part of the cost of doing business is losing customers. While it would appear that customer complaints are a negative to a business, complaints can be an essential marketing tool. When customers complain they are giving the business the chance to rectify the situation.

A study found that customers who had a complaint resolved in a satisfactory manner were 30 percent more loyal than those who never complained and 50 percent more loyal than those who remained dissatisfied. Businesses should encourage customers to come forward if they are not satisfied. This exchange is an opportunity to effectively solidify the relationship between the business and the customer.

Knowing why customers complain can help with the way you respond. You can identify those who are upset and show empathy. Chronic complainers or those who do it for the sake of it need firmer handling. As for professional complainers, who are out to seek compensation or intimidate with threats of legal action, you need to be particularly careful about what you say and refer them on to someone more senior if necessary.

We need to shift our thinking about complaints by seeing the real value that comes with it. We should encourage them as there are certain important advantages of customer complaints. They have a significant impact on the business. So, by understanding the benefits of the complaints you not only improve your brand face value but increase your team productivity.

Learning to value the complaints made by customers is an important step in taking your company to the next level. When you understand how to handle them, complaints can be turned into constructive opportunities for your team and your business to grow.

This course will help you identify the different ways in which people complain, understand why and give you some techniques and tips on how to handle them.

The first part of this course starts by looking at the reasons why people complain. Then explains why complaints should be welcomed as good news and opportunities. Then examines how people complain. Then discusses how to develop a complaints handling policy and what should be included in the policy. Then discusses the verbal and non-verbal skills needed to communicate with the complainer.

The second part discusses the psychology of communication and how the Transactional Analysis (TA) technique can help solve emotional issues that could hinder a positive outcome from an interaction with a difficult customer. Then explains how to analyse the transactions and how to deal with internal complaints. Then discusses how to build customer loyalty and turn complaints into compliments without suffering the consequences of losing customers.

LEARNING OUTCOMES:

By the end of this course, you will be able to understand:

• What are customer complaints?
• The benefits of customer complaints
• The importance of customer complaints to your business
• Why do businesses need customer complaints?
• How complaints could identify areas of improvement?
• How complaints could improve customer loyalty?
• How complaints could increase word of mouth ?
• How complaints could create sales opportunities?
• The reasons why people complain?
• The importance of understanding why customers complain?
• Why welcome complaints?
• Why complaints are good news?
• Why complaints are opportunities?
• The income multiplier effect
• How to make it easy to complain?
• How to reduce complaints?
• The importance of customer feedback
• How people complain?
• Aggressive complainers and how to deal with them?
• Passive complainers and how to deal with them?
• Constructive complainers and how to deal with them?
• Professional complainers and how to deal with them?
• How to develop a complaint handling policy?
• What to include in the complaint policy?
• Logging & analysing complaints
• Who deals with the complaint?
• How to establish a complaint procedure?
• The techniques for handling the manipulator, the noisy one and the chronic complainer
• The verbal and non-verbal skills needed to communicate with the complainer
• Why is a positive style of communication helpful?
• The psychology of communication
• The transactional analysis (TA) technique
• Ego states and the ego state model
• The parent, child and adult complainers
• How to analyse the crossed and ulterior transactions?
• How to handle internal complaints?
• How to define the customer?
• Multi-skilling & interdepartmental working
• How to build customer loyalty?
• How to turn complaints into compliments?
• The consequences of losing customers
• Why do businesses lose customers?
• Why treat customers like royalty?
• How to keep abreast of customer needs and minimise complaints?

COURSE DURATION:

The typical duration of this course is approximately 2-3 hours to complete. Your enrolment is Valid for 12 Months. Start anytime and study at your own pace.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS:

You must have access to a computer or any mobile device with Adobe Acrobat Reader (free PDF Viewer) installed, to complete this course.

COURSE DELIVERY:

Purchase and download course content.

ASSESSMENT:

A simple 10-question true or false quiz with Unlimited Submission Attempts.

CERTIFICATION:

Upon course completion, you will receive a customised digital “Certificate of Completion”.