Complaints Are Actually A Good Thing!

Nobody likes to get complaints. They make you question your judgment, they can ruin your day, and they almost always leave you in a bad mood. But what if I told you that complaints are actually a good thing?

Really! I'm not kidding. Complaints are one of the best forms of research you can perform. Complaints are also one of the best sources for new product/service ideas. How so? Most people who complain are upset. When people get upset, they are more likely to speak their minds. Most people who complain also like to tell you exactly what you've done wrong AND tell you how they would do it better. While your customers' attitudes may not be something to look forward to, their hidden suggestions are!

Let's look at this complaint:

"I can't believe you are sending these huge files through email! How ridiculous can a person be!? That clogs up the emails of those of us who are on dial-up for at least 20 minutes. I don't have time for this. You know, if you had a brain in your head, you'd know about XYZ.com. They burn CDs for about $0.30 each and will ship them to your customers for about $1.00 each. Anybody can afford that price. I've deleted your email. When you decide to operate like a real business and send me a CD, I'll look at it."

Yes? it's a harsh email. But most people who complain don't have very good manners, now do they? But take away the emotion. Take away the temper. Take away the insults, and what do you have left? A VERY good resource for CDs!

This person has just given you a resource that can:

(a) solve your problem with huge downloads

(b) be a new product to sell (CDs instead of downloadable files)

(c) offer you a solution that can benefit you and your customers

All for free!

How about the complaints that say, "You know, you really ought to?" Well? Maybe you really ought to. Have you thought about the customer's suggestion? Yes, it was probably hidden beneath a pile of profane words and threats? but look deeper. In all honesty, is this unruly customer doing you a favor?

It happens more often than you might think. People, in general, have a bad habit of trying to show those they are upset with how big and bad they are. More times than not, you'll get great ideas buried inside a wrapper of rudeness.

The next time you get a complaint, unwrap the package, and you just might find that the complaint is a blessing in disguise. If you remove the ugliness from the message, you could very well have some terrific ideas for improving or expanding your business!

Copyright 2004 Diane Hughes

About The Author

Diane C. Hughes * ProBizTips.com

FREE Report: Amazingly Simple (Yet Super Powerful) Ways To Skyrocket Your Sales And Build Your Business Into A Tower of Profits! ==>> http://madmarketer.com/diane

More Resources

Unable to open RSS Feed $XMLfilename with error HTTP ERROR: 404, exiting

More Customer Service Information:

Related Articles

Dont Be Afraid To Give Problem Customers The Boot
Q: In a recent column you made the point that the customer is always right, which I agree with. However, in the same column you also said that it is sometimes necessary give problem customers the boot.
Stay - Say - Pay
Would you like to have customers that stay with you anddon't buy from your competitors?Customers that say nice things about your business to otherpeople; pay you on time and accept the fact that you might be a bit more expensive thenother suppliers?Of course you do but how do we perform this miracle? It'sdead easy really; you only have to consider two factors: be Reliable and be Likeable.It almost goes without saying that it's vital to have areliable product or service.
Customer Service, the Internets Primary Neglected Business Concern
Customer service is everything to a business. Just look at big, successful retail chains: They let you return perfectly good merchandise just because you changed your mind.
Dont Work with Jerks: How to Recognize a Difficult Client Early
Five minutes into the call I knew this client was going to make my life miserable. The problem was, I already said "Yes.
Customer Service - A Sweet Essence
First let us specifically define customer service. It is the performance of a duty or responsibility due to a customer as a result of selling them a product or service.
Complaining Consumers
The salesman's job is to be well informed; extremely well informed. For this information is how he earns his bread.
Create a Positive, Upbeat, Can-Do Workforce and Dazzle the Customer with Your Caring!
Given the choice of dealing with a positive, upbeat employee with a "can-do" attitude or dealing with a disgruntled, distracted, uninterested one, which would you choose? No contest. Customers always want the best experience possible; they want it to be easy and pleasant to do business with your company.
Caring for Your Customers
You probably think I am going to say something like, "The customer is always right." Right?? Wrong.
Call Center Software - Your Tool of Choice in Customer Relations
The call center represents your first line of communication with customers and potential customers. Whether you choose to outsource this service or to establish an in-company call center, this is one area in which quality is paramount and cannot be compromised.
The Importance of Good Customer Service
Do you have good customer service? Even for your free giveaways?I have been thinking over the past couple of weeks why some WAHP's have trouble growing their business. They host chats or do online parties.
From Scowl to Smile: 5 Practical Steps to Instill Exceptional Customer Service
Whether in a restaurant, a retail establishment, or the local post office, we have all experienced a decline in customer service. Rarely do smiling, happy employees interact with us anymore.
How to Retain Your Customers the Dish Network Way
Customer retention is vital to a business. If you cannot retain your customers you will be continually losing current customers and always on the search for new ones.
Be A Resource
What is one of the greatest ways to add value to your business? Nope, it's not giving away free merchandise, offering special discounts, or even creating a preferred customer club. One of the most valuable commodities that you can provide your customers is INFORMATION.
First Contact: The Source of Customer Loyalty
With customers being smarter, more cost conscious, more product knowledgeable and more demanding, improving customer service has become a major focus within many businesses. In Customer Satisfaction is Worthless; Customer Loyalty is Priceless, author Jeffrey Gitomer contends the real solution is shifting the paradigm away from customer service to customer loyalty.
A New Way To Handle Complaints, Or Is It?
What a lot of money we have been wasting on dealing with customer complaints.Instead of dealing with them and attempting to satisfy the customer we should create a process that makes complaining so difficult then when customers complain they get such a huge negative experience and never receive any satisfaction.
CEM Can Improve Customer Loyalty
'A 5 percent increase in customer retention increases profits by 25 to 95 percent.''The greater the loyalty of customers, employees, suppliers, and shareholders, the greater the profits reaped .
How To Boost Your Bottom Line With Two Little Words
I hate to sound like one of those cheesy get-rich-quick commercials, but this week I am going to let you in on a little secret that is so powerful that it will immediately change the way you do business.In fact, this little secret is so powerful that you will be amazed at its immediate effect on you, your employees, and your bottom line.
7 Bits Of Critical Information You Cant Afford NOT To Know About Your Customers
If you think customer relationship management is just a piece of software, you're dead wrong. Customer relationship management is about understanding your customers.
4 Customer Service Mistakes Companies Should Avoid Making
1) Being placed on hold endlessly. Don't you just love it when you call a company and they place you on hold, leaving you to listen to their latest on-hold, recorded sales pitch, over and over again.
Doesnt Anybody Work Here? Nametags Impact Employee Communication
Walmart was the first business to require all its employees to wear nametags. (There's a surprise!) Sam Walton created this initiative because he wanted his customers to "get to know the people they bought from.