As a business, excellent customer service should be your number one concern. When distributing your goods and services, customers may submit complaints on a product if its quality doesn’t meet their needs and expectations.
As a business, it’s your duty to respond to these complaints immediately and appropriately. The type of response you give can be the difference between retaining your customers and them going elsewhere. To get you started, here are a few strategies that you can take when it comes to handling defective product complaints.
Document All Complaints
First and foremost, any complaint needs to be documented. Doing so will help you track the evolution of your products. If you begin to get numerous complaints about the same product, it’s crucial that you act fast in order to resolve the problem. Having complaints on file will mean you can look for patterns that may indicate a product either has a fault or needs to be taken off the shelf.
Analyze Quality Complaints
Any complaint you receive needs to be examined and directed to a quality control team leader. If there are any issues with the quality of a product, an engineer or tester can use the complaint in the future to spot potential problems that may otherwise pass through the analyzation process.
Put Emotions Aside
If you’re a small business, it can be all too easy to get attached to your products. However, just because you are confident and believe in your products, it doesn’t necessarily mean they’re up to scratch. In business, you need to be prepared for criticism and different points of view from others. Rather than taking offense, there are several tactics that you can use to handle negative customer feedback, such as taking each complaint seriously, as well as being sympathetic to your customers.
Protect Your Business
If you are a distributor or manufacturer, you may be held responsible for what is regarded as ‘breach of warranty’. A warranty breach can occur if you fail to comply with a written warranty and implied warranty. It’s crucial that you comply no matter what, especially when the warranty regards safety. It’s also essential that you take out business insurance to keep you covered. Providers like The Hartford offer product liability insurance, which is a type of business insurance to cover the costs of compensation claims if a customer is injured or a product that you have sold has been damaged.
Provide Support
Offering support and assistance to your customers should be your number one concern when dealing with complaints. Having excellent communication skills and being on hand to answer any questions or queries is important. Make sure that you also follow up on the complaint, which will show the consumer that you’re willing to go the extra mile to keep them satisfied.
No matter what field of business you operate in, providing an excellent level of care and support for your customers is vital. Complaints are part and parcel of running a business, so taking them on board and being professional when engaging with customers can help resolve problems and keep your audience happy.
