![\"Complaints](\"https:\/\/www.customerservicemanager.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/complaintmgr.jpg\")
\nIf your organization receives virtually no complaints this is not a sign that
\nyou are blessed with the most efficient, committed, and intelligent employee
\nforce on the face of the earth. It is far more likely that the few complaints that
\nyou receive are the tip of a submerged iceberg of complaints.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s the picture revealed by an A.C. Nielsen Co. study. The firm found
\nthat only 1 in 50 dissatisfied consumers takes the time to complain.
\nSo, to find out how many customers out there are dissatisfied, multiply the
\nnumber of complaints received by 50. The result is more likely to represent the
\ntrue picture in your organization.<\/p>\n
Another way of looking at the significance of the number of complaints
\nactually heard is to consider the fact that the ratio of complaints heard at
\nheadquarters to the instances of complaining in the marketplace (articulated
\nor not) yields a number called the \u201cMultiplier.\u201d It ranges from 6:1 for serious
\nproblems, when there is no field or retail contact organization available, to
\n2,000:1 for less serious problems when an extensive field service organization
\nis active to receive and to absorb problems. So, if you have a well-established,
\nprofessional complaint system in place, and you received only two complaints
\nlast month, you should understand that it is likely that 4,000 customers felt like
\ncomplaining but did not.<\/p>\n
The existence of a multiplier is the reason that you should solicit complaints,
\nsmooth the way for complainers, and even reward customers for complaining.
\nThis is what you would do if your objective were total customer satisfaction and
\nits bottom-line benefits.<\/p>\n
It is far better for an organization to yank its head out of the sand and to
\nopen its eyes to face complaints and complainers than it is to pull a cloak of
\nsmugness around its shoulders. Dissatisfied customers are going to strike back, eventually. The company that is aware of complaints will be equipped to take action to prevent the consequences of the complaints.<\/p>\n
Employees at all levels need to understand why it is important to solicit,
\nto accept, and to effectively handle and satisfy complaints. They should be
\nassisted in understanding the relation between productive complaint handling
\nand your strategic thinking.<\/p>\n
Shycon Associates, Inc., found in a customer service study that almost
\n70 percent of corporate purchasing agents would take immediate punitive
\naction against a company without complaining to either a salesperson or to a
\nsales manager first. They said that it was just easier to switch vendors than to
\ncomplain. This is a very good reason for soliciting complaints.<\/p>\n
The Technical Assistance Research Program (TARP) found that for major
\nproblems where there would have been an average loss of $142, about 31
\npercent of individuals who encountered the problem did not complain.
\nNielsen found that for small problems that resulted in loss of a few dollars
\nor a minor inconvenience, only three percent of consumers complained. Thirty
\npercent returned the product Furthermore, 70 percent of consumers encountering this type of problem either would do nothing or would discard the product.<\/p>\n
Results of a survey of 1,000 businesses indicated that 42 percent of companies that encountered problems with a car rental company
\ndidn\u2019t complain to anyone even to the counter clerk. You can see the flaw in
\nmeasuring effectiveness of service by the few number of complaints received.
\nBy the way, the Council of Better Business Bureaus says that complaints
\nabout auto repairs top the list of the nation\u2019s service problems, followed by gripes about home improvement contractors, mail-order companies, and landlords.<\/p>\n
Ask Customers For Complaints<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cHigh-growth companies stay in touch with their markets\u2014and willingly spend Ron Kaufmann, from Singapore, in his book, Up Your Service, asked, Research shows that complaining customers are overwhelmingly loyal Do not lose your head when problems arise. Work with your customers to This article is based on an excerpt from “Achieving Excellence Through Customer Service<\/a>” by John Tschohl.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n
\nthe money to do so. They know their customers and they keep their knowledge
\nfresh,\u201d says the American Management Association (AMA) in its research: “Win by losing: A complaint is an opportunity\u201d.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cWho actually picks up the phone, takes up a pen or gathers the courage to
\ncomplain? You might think it\u2019s the troublemaker, the difficult customer, and the
\none who enjoys being angry. You\u2019d be wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nand sincere. They are complaining to you because they care about your business and about the service they receive. They intend doing business with you again in the future, and they want you to set things right.<\/p>\n
\nset things right. The final result should be loyal customers who freely proclaim: “Wow! We got more than we expected. This organization is responsible. They really do care. We\u2019ll come back again. And we\u2019ll tell others to come here, too.”<\/p>\n
![\"John](\"https:\/\/www.customerservicemanager.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/john-tschohl.jpg\")
John Tschohl is a customer service strategist and is the founder and president of the\u00a0