Handling complaints and feedback is something that every business has to deal with, no matter how good they are, or how well recognised the brand is. When a customer contacts your business to complain or provide feedback about a product or a service they have received it can be a blessing in disguise. For every person who complains there can be hundreds who do not bother, but still spread negative comments about your service. Always remember that 90% of consumers who have a complaint satisfactorily resolved will actively promote your brand for you.

In situations where customer complaints arise, the problem must be dealt with immediately and the cause of the feedback resolved. Seeking customer satisfaction benefits a company in the long run, especially when over 50% of customers expect complaints made over the phone to be resolved in a single day. This is in comparison to the industry average of a 10 day requirement.

If there is a problem highlighted by your customer, you should quickly answer the complaint and solve their grievance. The attitude of your staff during this process is vital. Ensure you don't merely defend your business, instead sympathise with your customer and their complaint. This will mean that you will be able to find out the exact cause of the complaint and formulate a process to fix the problem.

Once a complaint has been made, the way that it is then processed and handled is integral to the customer's end satisfaction. It is essential that you know what the customer wants to achieve as a result of making a complaint as it is not always what you were expecting. The Customer Care Alliance discovered that 49% of complainants were seeking an apology as a result of their grievance, but only 19% were aiming for a refund or similar. Too many businesses make the fatal error of not asking the customer what they want. Instead, they assume consumers want refunds and compensation when in fact all it can take is a simple apology. Resolving complaints quickly as opposed to just resolving complaints has a huge impact on the customer's resultant satisfaction. In fact, the speed of resolution can positively impact customer satisfaction by upwards of 25%.

Technology is a key driver to streamlining the complaints handling process and cost-effective, internet based solutions are now available for SMEs to manage and maintain the intelligent routing of complaints. As soon as a complaint is logged, a consumer can instantly be informed who is taking care of it, what process will be taken and how long it'll take - music to the consumer's ears.

It is essential that businesses deliver on their word. If unrealistic promises are made, or if they require a group of people to keep them, they are very often broken. However, by implementing the right processes, companies can make the complaint handling process task-orientated and therefore provide each member in the chain with a holistic view of what needs to done and how long is left before the process needs to be completed.

Keeping promises is essential to gaining - and keeping - the trust and loyalty of your customers. Customers who complain can sometimes represent the total customer base. Companies therefore need to be proactive and identify business problems based on the profile of complaints that they receive. By taking this approach you can identify potential problem customers and target them accordingly. For example, if a customer has made a complaint stating that her phone-line isn't working, common sense would suggest that other customers in the same road could be potentially experiencing the same problem. By proactively engaging customers you can draw out a complaint that may not have been issued and therefore tomorrow's customer doesn't experience the same problem. Ultimately this ensures your business can learn and grow.

For more information please visit www.managemycomplaints.com