There are always going to be complaints because you are in business.
Needles, poor quality, late delivery, slow replies, bad attitude, and any number of product OEM jobs have the potential for complaints. Therefore, we must be meticulous in our work to prevent complaints from occurring, but if a complaint does occur, we have no choice.
We should aim to minimize the damage and, as they say, “when it rains, the ground hardens,” so we should aim to overcome the complaints and build a stronger relationship of trust.
When I was at Company T, I received a complaint about color fading from Company W’s storefront. The customer was very angry and wanted me to go with him. the general manager of company W repeatedly told me, “I don’t want you to make any excuses, just bow down.
The product was color-faded colored jeans that were labeled as color-faded, so I felt unconvinced, but it was a request from an important client, so I went along with the person in charge.
I went to a coffee shop near the storefront where we were to meet, and there was a person who looked like a typical thick-skinned Osaka woman. She told me, “The color of my pants had transferred to the tote bag that my beloved grandfather had bought for me. The person in charge at Company W apologized in a low, flat tone of voice.
Eventually, when the customer’s anger had subsided, he said, “I am truly sorry, and I apologize for the inconvenience. This is just a token of our apology. I’m not asking for these things, I’m complaining about your slow reply and poor response. I understand. I know you won’t forgive me for this, but I would be happy if you could use it,” the W Company representative said with a bow, and the lady smiled and said, “I’m sorry to get such a cute product from you, but I want you to do well because my daughter loves this brand. Please do me a favor,” she said, and after a lot of bragging about her daughter, she left the coffee shop in a good mood.
I thought she was a kind of complainer, but then I realized that retailing is a tough business.
What this case shows is thatTo expedite the initial action of the claim.、Listen to complaints politely and in good faith.is that it is important to
The truth is that the storefront could have ended the situation with just a quick response, but because of the lack of a quick response, they wanted the person responsible to come out and apologize directly to the consumer, with the general manager of Company W and the manager of the manufacturer’s section going out and apologizing directly to the consumer. That and an immediate investigation of the facts. In my experience, in the cases where needles were issued, there were many misunderstandings by the consumers and also misunderstandings by the clients.
The following is the Chief’s response.
１） Understand their feelings and listen carefully and politely to their complaints well.
２） Check the facts about what is at stake.
３） Provide a solution to the problem with an alternative proposal for the product.
４） Apologize and thank both the manufacturer and the customer for the complaint.
If a claim is madeFirst, an apology.Do. What they have to say.After listening carefully until the end of the story.、It is important to explain our circumstances.
While the occurrence of a complaint is unfortunate, sincere efforts to deal with complaints can lead to a stronger relationship of trust and increased business than before the complaint occurred.
Rather than avoiding complaints, I believe that they are an opportunity to train yourself, and that you should look at the problem head on and do your best to address it.
If a client is making unreasonable demands, you must consider why they are making unreasonable demands. If your boss is asking you to “get a discount,” no matter how reasonable you may be, a zero answer will cause the conversation to become vexed, so you need to find a way to settle the matter.
However, we should take a firm stand against the one-sided unreasonable demands of the person in charge of the client in order to make a profit.
Although the company has already gone bankrupt, I have had the bitter experience of being confronted with a claim for triple the contract amount for a one-month delay in delivery, and due to my poor response, the president of the client requested a meeting directly with the honorary chairman, and the honorary chairman of Company T accepted the entire claim.
Although I received an outrageous claim, you should not respond in a way that goes far beyond socially accepted norms. An outrageous claim means suspension of business. Many customers wish to continue doing business with us, so we often do not receive that many complaints. The president, who went bankrupt about a year after this claim, was in financial trouble and took advantage of the delayed delivery date to bite the honorary president in the spirit of “biting the cat that bites the mouse.
Making and selling things is a very risky business. I was also reminded that selling to a company with poor financial condition is an extremely high-risk business.
Another important aspect of claims is to report, communicate, and consult (hōrensō) within the company. Especially when there is a bad story, the company needs to promptly communicate with the customer.
Napoleon said, “Good stories are fine the next morning, but bad ones knock me out.”He said. It’s hard to talk to your boss about something that grates on your ears, but your boss wants to hear the bad news as soon as possible.