Sound The Alarm!

Sound the Alarm!
Ensure Customer Satisfaction by responding to complaints like you would an emergency.
By Craig Cochran

It's odd to think of complaints as customer satisfaction tools. After all, they indicate the polar opposite of customer satisfaction, don't they? But that's exactly the point: An effective complaint system is your customer satisfaction warning signal. Imagine a big red light mounted on the wall of your conference room. When a customer complains, the light blinks a glaring shade of crimson as a deafening buzzer blares. This is how your complaint system should function.

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Regards,
Simon

Thought you might like this. Slightly more effective than an alarm!!!
Although surprisingly I think the number of complaints may go down!!!

Simon,

Craig is correct. A matured Haap Program would view a Customer Complaint as a peg to its Customer Satisfaction Barometer Reading............before it becomes a "Thermometer Reading" when a Product Recall is invoked.

Serious players actually take C. Complaint very seriously as part of its continuous improvement program towards it quality assurance system. Personally, I agree and C. COmplaint should not be discouraged or avoided (Sorry John - not meant to an offensive statement)

Charles Chew

I agree, we personally in my company learn a lot about our process through our customer complaints, enabling us to improve our processes. I just thought that picture was quite humorous!!!

I just thought that picture was quite humorous!!!

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It is John. The problem is it'd be like WW3 in most organisations.

It's a great read but the best practice Craig describes in his article isn't exactly rocket science is it? If it is so straightforward why is it many organisations get their complaints systems completely wrong. In my experience it's the really large organisations that make the biggest hash of it. You know. The ones with the dedicated customer complaints call centre.

It makes me weep. It really does. They'd be well advised to read Craig's article and get back to bloody basics.

To be honest I would prefer to be told to @!#$ off! by an automated telephone system rather than waste my time being kicked around inside an ineffective and drawn out spaghettiesque complaints system. It's absolute torture.

Take heed, don't make an unhappy customer more unhappy!

Regards,
Simon

Exhibit 'A'...............................

Complaints are always useful !!

A rejection of a mature product for a 'new' reason usually indicates the customer is 'moving the goalposts' and attempying to raise the expected standard. I usually tell them to be honest and discuss their requirements properly, and bu££er off with their complaint. Usually works

Or a system failure - it happens unfortunately.

I get cheesed off with the automotive customers calling with the 'big problem - get here now'. Again they get told NO. Last one was for a missing o'ring, yup 1 missing bloody o'ring from one part. It had been removed by them but was our fault!! The poor SQA at our customer was most put out when he demanded a 'team' of people on site to sort his stock and was told by me to grow up!

Just waiting for the complaint about that :D

A rejection of a mature product for a 'new' reason usually indicates the customer is 'moving the goalposts' and attempting to raise the expected standard. I usually tell them to be honest and discuss their requirements properly, and bu££er off with their complaint. Usually works

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But if it's a justified complaint then surely it's the customers right to move the goalposts. Over time customers expectations rise (mine do), they're a constantly moving target and an important part of CI in my opinion.

I get cheesed off with the automotive customers calling with the 'big problem - get here now'. Again they get told NO. Last one was for a missing o'ring, yup 1 missing bloody o'ring from one part. It had been removed by them but was our fault!! The poor SQA at our customer was most put out when he demanded a 'team' of people on site to sort his stock and was told by me to grow up!

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Customers eh...who'd have em?


Regards,
Simon