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Turning Complaining clients into fanatical supporters of your business

Updated: Feb 21, 2023



Introduction Not everything goes to plan on your project and sometimes even when it does the client may have misunderstood something or may be concerned by an unexpected cost. How you deal with client questions and complaints not only makes all the difference in resolving the specific problem but has the opportunity to change clients into fans.

So you’ve got a question or an email from the client, they don’t understand a quote or a bill you sent and maybe they are unhappy.


It’s always better to reply with a phone call, in person meeting or a zoom chat, but this is not always possible. Maybe you are not confident enough to explain the issues, or you may have only corresponded thus far via email so you’re not going to switch channels, or it might be late and you just didn’t get to call them, so you’re playing catch-up - email is better than delay any day of the week.


So here is a sample question from Jenni, one of our clients (not her real name). And a reply from one of my staff Barry (again not his real name) and some suggestions about how this reply could be made better.

Here are some things to think about when replying to a client:


  1. Assume that the client request is genuine even if you think they are being unreasonable or seeking an advantage. This is hard at times - clients can be very unreasonable - but even if they are you are much better off playing to the script - the outcome will be better.

  2. Acknowledge the question that was asked – say thanks for getting back to me, thanks for your question

  3. Acknowledge the issue raised and empathise – tell them you understand why it might look expensive, why they’re not happy

  4. Apologise if needed. Even if it’s not clear who is at fault just say “I’m sorry you’re unhappy with this”

  5. Define the real underlying problem – in this case it’s price shock and concern about getting a fair price not specifically the cost of decking, over allowance on some things

  6. Solve the problem – say something like - here’s what we’ll do to solve your problem and offer a solution.

  7. Communicate the solutions in a way that is easy for a client to understand – we’ll only charge you for the work that’s actually done and we’ll do our best to do it efficiently

  8. If you can’t offer a solution, commit to resolving the issue or answering the questions in a nominated timeframe.

  9. Consider offering a gesture of goodwill. It only needs to be something small normally that shows the customer that you value their business and want to make things right.

  10. If the timeframe is beyond your control then just say: we’ll resolve shortly

  11. Use simple language – short sentences with the minimum amount of words

  12. Keep it brief and break up long paragraphs - use point form if there is more than one item

  13. Admit mistakes, own them and fix them - don’t make excuses for why you got things wrong.

  14. Use non-technical language – avoid terms like “rise and fall” and other jargon

  15. Spell the client’s name right – its Jenni not Jenny - she probably gets this all the time but it helps every time


There are 100 ways to write Barry’s letter, and all are legitimate and it depends on context and understanding Barry and Jenni have from their prior dealings.


Summary:

Of course there are 100 ways to write Barry’s letter, and all are legitimate and it depends on context and understanding Barry and Jenni have from their prior dealings. But the key takeaways are:

  1. Empathise: Show that you understand the issue their raising and try to empathise

  2. Explain if needed. Answer any questions they have raised.

  3. Offer a Solution, think of the value of a satisfied client.


Download some sample responses and learn how to use ChatGPT to create even better responses by clicking the link below and logging in.








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