How to Manage Complaints Without Tears!
Complaints are part of normal business life, so and if you stop being afraid of them, you can use them to grow your business. Pets are an emotional part of life, so the pet industry sees more than it’s share of complaints.
Handling complaints well is not difficult, and will help your business, keep your staff happier and reduce your blood pressure
1. Complaints are not an attack on you or your business (although they may be expressed that way). Complaints are a simple mismatch between a customer’s expectations and the goods or services you provided. Complaints are where a client gives you the opportunity to keep them as a client, instead of “just disappearing”.
2. Complaints are expressed differently by different people. The SAME complaint about the SAME product or service may be expressed as a screaming phone call, a reasoned discussion at the counter, the silent loss of a client, a quiet request for help, or a written complaint directly to a Minister/Council/RSPCA/Fair Trading.
3.For each complaint the management is the same, but the speed of the resolution may differ. Use the checklist below to assess and manage complaints.
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FIRST, LISTEN REALLY, REALLY CAREFULLY TO THE COMPLAINANT. ASK THEM WHAT THEY WANT
Because Complaints are expressed differently by different people we sometimes don’t hear the message – a message that itself is screened by your own reaction to both the complaint and the method of delivery! Writing things down is useful – you are forced to listen and you hear beyond the screaming. Let the client “dump their bucket” – get it all off their chest without interruption and with you writing away and saying “uh-huh” and “I see” to indicate you are listening. Only when they have “run out of steam” can you clarify issues with them and ask any questions. Then ask if you can take the complaint away to investigate what’s happened. DON’T ADMIT LIABILITY, but it’s OK to make empathy statements like “I’m sorry you are so upset”.
Asking a complainant what they want at this early stage does NOT generally result in ambit claims. This can be important later.
SECOND, WORK OUT WHERE YOU WANT TO BE AT THE END OF THIS COMPLAINT
Y/N Do I want to keep this client? Will this client tell others?
Will this client tell many of my clients about the problem and my handling of it? If “yes” then proceed as below. If “no” then politely tell the client you are not going to deal with this complaint, but beware they might take it further. REMEMBER you may not be able to avoid dealing with the complaint!
If swallowing your pride and “giving something away” quickly to get the complaint resolved retains the client and allows you to move on, consider this option even if it means the client “gets a bit too much”. You don’t have to do it, but at least consider it.
Y/N On the facts of the case as presented by the client and from my own investigations, does this business have a case to answer?
If “YES” – like paperwork that wasn’t filled in and should have been,
- like actions that should have been taken but weren’t,
- like actions that were taken that shouldn’t have been
- like promises that were made that shouldn’t have been…
…….then consider your options and notify your insurer immediately. You are better notifying your insurer on a “false alarm” than risking losing your insurance by not notifying early enough. There is no risk to your premium by over-advising, but there can be risks to your cover by under-advising.
If “NO”, then you have many more options, but if the case relates to anything that may become a lawsuit, still notify your insurer immediately.
Y/N Can I afford the cost of this complaint if it gets nasty?
As a rough rule, complaints get more expensive (particularly in management time, which you are generally short of) the longer they go on. This is not only because of the cost of managing them, but the client’s claims can get larger over time. As one university lecturer said “the value of an animal increases proportionally to how dead it is”. Again, if you are not admitting negligence and can resolve a complaint quickly, do so, even if it goes against the grain a little.
NOW GET THAT COMPLAINT SORTED!
Do you know exactly what the client wants!
This is usually the single hardest thing to do. The two most common “wants” are “I never want this to happen again” , or “I want money”.
In the first case, the client actually wants to help you improve your systems – they WANT to remain a client. If you want it too, then work with them to review protocols, change staff training, or whatever, to make sure the problem doesn’t happen again – which, frankly, you don’t want either.
In the “I want money/product/discount/exchange” scenario, it is important to find out EXACTLY how much money etc is wanted. If it is a small amount, it may be worth agreeing, getting them to sign a disclaimer and go away – because of the management time and cost of negotiating further. If the claim is not appropriate and you are confident, (and particularly if you don’t need to retain the client) then politely tell the client how far you are prepared to go and that this is your final offer.
KEEP CAREFUL WRITTEN NOTES of the conversation with the client. In some cases the client’s claim rises with every conversation and this can be useful if the case progresses to the VCAT or Magistrate.
There are two absolute rules for making an offer to a client:
- ALWAYS put a time limit on the offer, otherwise the issue can go on for ages. A couple of days is usually enough for the time limit – the client can get advice, and you know where you stand and the client has to make a decision.
- ALWAYS make is clear that the offer is “without prejudice” (without any admission of liability), so it is not seen by the client as an admission of negligence on your part.
For example: “Mrs X, I am prepared to make you an offer of $100 on a without prejudice basis, but I will need your response not later than close of business Friday or this offer will be withdrawn.”
Empower your staff up to a given level or type of complaint
Staff managing complaints speed up resolution, makes you look like you have a professional team and improves staff morale. BUT there have to be limits – both dollar limits and types of complaints (for example anything involving animal welfare or significant financial loss should ALWAYS be handled by you). DO NOT allow staff to manage complaints until you have had them trained and have tested their training in a “mystery shopper” situation.
Make sure staff keep a written record of the complaints they handle so you can see who is complaining and what the outcomes are (and to avoid stock losses).
Get the complaint resolved
Sometimes it is easier and better to bite your tongue and just give the client what they want – if their “want” is acceptable and that will be the end of the matter. On the other hand, if you don’t want to do that ( and that’s really OK!), or negotiate (that’s OK too!), then save yourself time and tell the client. They will either go away or take the matter further, possibly in the courts.
Keep things in writing!
We all hate forms, but they come in handy sometimes. Have a disclaimer (see sample below) when you solve a complaint in excess of $200 value, or you may find the complainant comes back a second time!
Have admission forms, photo copy vaccination records and have a written guarantee of sale of pets. While paperwork is a nuisance, it can stop complaints (and especially expensive ones) in their tracks. Examples of all of these are available on this website.
Things to avoid in your records.
DO NOT keep a written blacklist of clients and their attitudes. There have apparently been successful defamation cases where pet businesses have written “bitch” or other words in the margin of their records. “Caution” dots may be acceptable, though, please check with your insurer.
Similarly, do not make personal or subjective comments. Keep copies of complaints on the client file, in case you are not there when the client comes back next time.
What If The Complainant Goes Further?
The VAST majority of complainants follow a pattern of escalation from “local to legal” if they are not dealt with. ANY step that you can put into the middle of that process improve your chances that the complaint will NOT go to court. If the client is satisfied at any step in the process, the complaint stops – so the more steps the better.
If you cannot resolve the complaint yourself – refer the complainant to Pets Australia, or actively seek mediation. You will generally get a better result than you hope for and anything that keeps a complaint out of Fair Trading, RSPCA or the courts is a good thing.
Don’t Shoot The Messenger!
As tempting as it is to get mad at Pets Australia, the RSPCA or Fair Trading if they ask you to put in writing what happened, please don’t shoot the messenger.
Each of these is charged by law, constitution or agreement to discuss a complaint with you and usually in writing, if the client complaint is made in writing. They have no choice whatsoever and are NOT “out to get you”. They do NOT consider you “guilty until proven innocent”, just trying to work things out to avoid court cases.
Work with them, explain all the facts. In most cases you will be found to have no case to answer, and the client complaint will be resolved. If not, then the fact that you put everything down in writing will allow you to better handle the complaint when it goes further.
If Things Get To The Courts, Fair Trading Etc
There are only three rules to remember:
- You MUST attend. Even if you know you won’t win, you have no chance at all of minimising damage to your business or your reputation if you don’t attend.
- Line up your friends. Get a solicitor (unless the process does not allow you to), or get advice before you go in. Take an adviser if solicitor is not available. Have references and expert opinion in writing to hand in case you need it. The Friend can help you keep cool, provide support and help present all the facts. Knowing procedure and systems is invaluable.
- Have all the facts with you and be prepared to use them. A report from Pets Australia, reports from your veterinarian, from your insurer, from witnesses, from staff – all these things will help you to minimise the damage to your business.
A Handy Hint At The Final Step
Let’s pretend that you are “in the right” and the client has been problematic. No negotiated outcome has been available and the client is now threatening loudly to “take the issue to Fair Trading” or “take the issue to VCAT” or even “take the issue to my solicitor”.
It’s a psychological ploy by the client to try and scare you into the outcome that they want – or more. They may or may not go to VCAT, Fair Trading or their solicitor.
If you are confident that you do not have a case to answer (ie no negligence) then it is sometimes possible to diffuse the situation and sometimes even stop the process entirely with the following:
“Mrs X, I not only encourage you to take this case to VCAT/Fair trading/your solicitor, I will provide copies of relevant records of mine to take with you to ensure that this person is properly briefed. If you choose to take this case further I would be delighted to meet you there”.
You have to be prepared to actually provide the relevant notes if requested after this point, but:
- providing the notes to the client diffuses the psychological game playing, because your reaction is not as they expect to keep the game rolling along
- the notes if given to the solicitor will often “prove your case” and the solicitor will advise the client not to proceed further (otherwise the poor solicitor just has the client’s side of the story)
- your action in providing the notes will often make the client wonder if you are right after all, and often they will “cool off” and see reason.
This technique should not be used where there is a case to answer or the insurer is involved (unless the insurer agrees)
Remember! Pets Australia maintains a close association with other industry groups, with lawyers and gains industry intelligence on those issues that matter to you. Phone or email Pets Australia for help wth your individual issues..
Further Hints
There are a number of books and courses on complaints management and social styles that will improve your ability to manage complaints and also potentially improve your sales.
Try:
Are Complaints Really Opportunities: Laidlie et al 1985
A Complaint is a Gift: Recovering Customer Loyalty When Things Go Wrong: Barlow & Moller
Personal Styles & Effective Performance: Merrill & Reid 1981
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