Customer complaints are not normally welcomed by small business owners who have to get on with the job of running a company.

But however trivial the matter may seem, it can provide some vital feedback on an aspect of your business that may be putting others off buying your products and services.

If enough customers experience the same gripes - and those that are unhappy tell their friends and colleagues - poor customer service could even put you out of business altogether.

According to customer service guru John Tschohl, companies should bend over backwards to apologise for mistakes and go out of their way to correct it.

"When a customer complains, you should be grateful," sayd Tschohl. "Research shows that only about 4% of customers will tell you when they have a problem. The other 96% simply won't do business with you again. Instead, they quietly fume and take their business-and their money-elsewhere. They also will tell an average of 10 other people about the problem they had with your organisation.

"Handling customer complaints is a critical element in providing exceptional service," he adds. "It's also one aspect of any job that employees fear and, consequently, mishandle. They take complaints personally, and they haven't been trained in how to deal with irate customers.

"When employees are trained to deal with complaints, the organisation wins on two fronts. It not only retains its customers; it also retains its employees."

Tschohl suggests employees can win customers' loyalty by following these six steps:

• Listen carefully and with interest to what the customer has to say. Don't get defensive, either with your words or your body language. Remember that the customer is not attacking you personally; he is merely describing the problem and hoping you can solve it. Also, don't let the conversation wander. The goal is to solve one specific problem, not to find more problems

• Put yourself in the customer's place. Make responses that show you care about the customer's problem. You might say, "I don't blame you for being upset." When you show empathy for a customer's situation, you defuse the situation and have a calming influence on the customer. Never directly challenge the customer. Even if the customer is wrong and you're right, don't attempt to prove it. The goal is to solve the problem, not debate who is at fault

• Ask questions in a caring, concerned manner. The more information you have, the better armed you will be to solve the problem to the customer's satisfaction

• Suggest one or more alternatives to address the customer's concerns. Ask the customer what she feels would be an appropriate solution. Then make some suggestions of your own. Become a partner with the customer in solving the problem

• Apologise without blaming. Nothing defuses a potentially volatile situation better than a sincere apology. When a customer sees - and hears - that you are sorry for the problem he is experiencing, he will respond in a like manner. Don't participate in fault-finding. It doesn't help anyone to shift the blame to another person or department

• Solve the problem or find someone who can solve it. When complaints are solved quickly, it saves the organisation money because every time a complaint is moved up the ladder it becomes more expensive to handle. Solve the problem and then work with the organisation to make sure it doesn't occur again

John Tschohl is an international service strategist and speaker. He has written several books, including The Customer is Boss, Loyal For Life, e-Service, Achieving Excellence Through Customer Service and Ca$hing In