Comparatively, satisfied customers boost businesses. Moreover, chances of them coming back to buy from you are much higher compared to a regular customer. They can unknowingly advertise your business for free through singing praises about your service delivery on social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, and to their friends and family.
Still, unhappy customers can ruin your business and drain out whatever good is left of it. The internet has registered its fair share of customer complaints especially as seen on reviews and customer feedback. Upon leaving your shop, restaurant, and or clinic an unhappy customer can tarnish your name and make everyone assume that’s who you are.
The ugly side of customer complaints is that you may never get to know until it’s too late. To back this claim, statistics show that 1 in 25 customers will directly complain to you. They will rant angrily to their family and friends about what went wrong without telling you so that the problem can be fixed.
Worry not, however, because this article shares with you common complaints customers make and how they can be fixed.
· Been on hold for Long
Undoubtedly, customers expect quick responses from you when they call in. If they have inquiries or are unsatisfied with a product or service, you can be sure they already feel frustrated. At this stage, the only thing they need is your assistance and expertise but not putting them on hold. Call waits make them feel neglected and to some customers, paints you as unserious.
How can this be resolved?
A complaint of long wait times is quite easy to solve. Start by finding out what’s making you lag. Are the call agents well informed about service and product information? Could it be an issue with staffing that requires you to employ more staff to handle bulk calls? Is it peak season, holidays, or Christmas?
Another solution is to this is outsourcing to a facilities management services company. They have competent call agents who are trained to provide excellent customer care service while ensuring that customers are happy.
· Can’t find relevant information online
Today a lot of information can easily be accessed online through social media and company websites. When customers are unable to find relevant information on any of these platforms they won’t be happy. Limited access to online information is one of the top causes for a customer complaint.
How can this be solved?
The best way to solve this is to build an online platform where relevant company information is posted such as FAQs, articles, contact information, and any other important information. Remember to update articles so that they speak to current situations.
· I keep repeating myself
Do you enjoy repeating your problems over and over? The most likely answer here is no. This isn’t just for you but your customers as well. The fact that they are already complaining is bad enough. Now asking those to repeat is like adding salt to a wound. Switching between agents is the common reason for customers having to repeat themselves.
How can this be resolved?
The solution here is to connect customers to the right agent. The agents should also have access to an updated version of a client’s profile. That way problems can be solved quickly.
· Tried calling but can’t through
The frustration of calling a business number and not being able to get through is incomparable? Moreover, sometimes that call could be a customer’s only savior.
How can this be resolved?
Avoid restricting your mode of communication to just the phone. Include other means such as messaging, live chat, and email. Having the right software allows you to switch easily when a customer suggests.
· The Support agent is rude
Once you recruit unskilled support agents, you can as well expect problems. They may lack good customer skills and end up building a terrible reputation for your business. A frustrated customer and rude agent only escalate the problem.
How can this be resolved?
Only hire professional agents preferably those from reputable call agent companies. One other way is to train whoever is in charge on how to be empathetic towards customers. They need to make customers feel like it’s a shared problem and you understand exactly what they’re going through.
· Customer support is only available at certain times
With a growing world grows more customer expectations. They expect to get assistance at whatever time of day or night it is. Making them wait up to the next day only makes them angry. Customers especially complain about businesses that don’t operate on weekends or public holidays.
How can this be resolved?
Chatbots were designed for this very purpose. They can be used to work together with call/center agents. When the agents aren’t available or busy, a bot can reply to inquiries that come in.
· Can’t talk to a real person
Customers are unique in their ways. Some may have issues being answered by a bot while some don’t mind at all. As it seems the chatbot has its fair share of limitations. They aren’t able to answer every customer’s question the way they should be which makes them angry.
How can this be solved?
To avoid this customer complaint, update your page with an FAQ page to answer common questions, also put a phone number on which customers can reach you if all fails. Also, make sure that there are enough agents to help out so you don’t have to rely on bots so much.
Last words….
And those are some of the most common customer complaints you’ll encounter. Maybe one other thing is not to take customer complaints the wrong way. Customers only complain because they’re looking for a solution. So how you reply and try to solve these complaints will determine whether it turns out positive or negative.
See customer complaints as the biggest business opportunity you’ll ever find. You have a chance to fix issues and allow customers to see your product or service in a new light.
