Handling Customer Complaints

Even the best business will receive an occasional customer complaint. Knowing how to resolve these complaints will help you gain loyal customers who will then refer others to your business. Here are some important tips.

1. Listen carefully to the customer and gather as much information as possible.

2. Restate the complaint as you understand it. This ensures that you completely understand what the situation is.

3. Resolve the problem as quickly as possible. Tell the person you are sorry this happened and ask what you can to do to make this right. Do not argue with the customer, even though you are right and do not become defensive.

3. After correcting the problem, tell the customer thank you for bringing it to your attention and that you appreciate their business.

4. Develop a written policy for your staff to follow and reward them when they do a good job.

Remember! The customer may not always be right, but an unhappy customer treated right may well be one of your most loyal customers.

About The Author

Luana Emmons is a restauant owner and owner of allfoodbusiness.com (http://www.allfoodbusiness.com). See this and other articles on her website; allfoodbusiness@allfoodbusiness.com

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