Complaints Received Are A Gift!

MANILA, Philippines - Puzzled? Yes - Complaints received are a gift - thus proclaimed by, Janelle Barlow, an American author, whom I had the pleasure of meeting in one of her seminars on customer service years ago. We might be ranked number one as the most hospitable people in customer service, because we smile a lot or we talk well to customers but receiving complaints is often neglected and not practiced. Result - we lost in the battle of converting current customers to be customer for life!

For start-up entrepreneurs, complaints are perceived to be negatives. They do not want to hear people complaining, more so if it pertains to them as persons, their products or services that they have developed. They take it as an attack to their integrity, their accomplishments, or their status in life. They think, people have no right to speak that way.

But indeed, if one reflects about Complaints on a positive light, it is a form of gift - the gift of positive criticism and is aimed to let us see our business from the eyes of an outsider. It is a gift because our Competition will never do it. They will probably just let you maintain status quo and let you fail in the process.

Well, complaints should be used to improve one self. In the case of micro-enterprises, complaints are good feedback to gauge the efficiency and effectiveness of the system, the people and the policies that we have adopted for our small business. That is the reason why there are so-called - "soft launches." That is the reason why Survey Forms are done at the onset of a new business. And most of all, it is the reason why we ask relatives and friends to give us feedback regarding products and/or services of our business. Others have maintained an old but effective way - the Suggestion Box. Among big Corporations, customer complaints have led many to make their waiting areas comfortable and customer friendly, not only with movie to watch but with a free glass of coffee while waiting for your turn to be entertained. Complaints are also the reason, why many LGUs have improved in attending to their taxpayers. They have come up with Taxpayers lounge, so comfortable you want to stay there the whole day and forget the amount you are paying as taxes.

On the product or service level, complaints have made packaging for many livelihood products at par with those made by big corporations. Notice how most indigenous products like those of Pili nuts candies of Bohol, Piyaya from Bacolod, the famous delicious Sitsaron of Cebu or even the Buco Pie or the simple "Espasol" have emerged from a mere "pasalubong" to export quality products.

Soliciting customer feedback is easy nowadays. In this digital age, where communications can be handled in many ways, small business can invest in SMS communications or use the email to get feedback from customers.

But receiving complaints and entertaining them should follow certain criteria e.g. it should contain the truth or must be factual and the objective should be to correct or improve a situation and not to destroy a reputation or lead to character assassination. It should be timely. Do not pay attention to something that happened a year ago or an issue you have already acted upon. And lastly, it should bring positive results for both the complainant and the one to whom the complaint is directed.

Receiving complaints is also part of the process to improve say on our brand, labels and even packaging. It will also impact on how we deliver orders or how our staff act in the field like the famous Pizza Huts, "its on us if delivered late?", or how a customer was entertained the moment he stepped into your shop.

Receive complaints with a smile, analyze them, act on them. Remember, complaints are positives not negatives. They are gifts and we should welcome them.