Dealing with Customer Complaints as a Cleaning Company
In an ideal world, every customer would be left satisfied by every single transaction. In reality, all businesses will have a few unhappy customers, so it's important to know how to handle them. Negative opinions can be upsetting, but dealing with customer complaints doesn't have to be a dramatic experience.
Have a clear complaints procedure
If customers want to complain, something that can make them even more frustrated is not knowing how. Without a clear avenue for feedback, it's more likely that customers will turn to social media. Make sure that your contact details are clearly accessible to customers. You could also give out a physical or digital feedback form after every job, giving every customer the chance to feel heard.
Listen carefully
Even if you disagree with a complaint, something has clearly bothered a customer enough to approach you. Give them the space to fully express their concerns before you respond. You can show that you hear their problems by repeating them back to them, which also gives you both the chance to check that you have understood correctly.
Validate their feelings
Once you have listened to a customer complaint, it's time to acknowledge their upset or inconvenience. Even if you need to follow that with an explanation of why their problem is unavoidable, recognising that the situation is distressing or not the desired outcome can make a customer more receptive to that.
Keep records
Mistakes happen, but learning from them will prevent history from repeating itself. Record any customer complaints and the way you solved them. Not only will this help you avoid upsetting other customers, but it means you can be prepared if anyone else complains in the same way. Sometimes, just explaining something more clearly before a job or making your invoicing more transparent can solve disputes before they even arise.
Build bridges
Whether you're at fault or not, an apology can go a long way. If you are at fault, compensation can help, too. Refunds, vouchers, repairing damage and re-cleaning a carpet are all potential ways to regain trust and mend a relationship with a customer.
Dealing with customer complaints and finding reconciliation is highly dependent on the individual case – you should balance the reparations with the scale of the issue.
Use a dispute resolution service
When a complaint seems to escalate and escalate without any resolution in sight, you can take a step back. Mediation services are designed to help your business tackle complaints through an impartial negotiator. This is one of many services offered to members of the National Carpet Cleaning Association (NCCA). It can extinguish conflict and find a solution that both parties are happy with.
Join the NCCA
Members of the NCCA gain access to advice, forums and training that helps their cleaning business develop. Whether it's dealing with customer complaints, marketing or tax, our members can access a wealth of support. Our arbitration service can also help resolve conflict with clients.
