Nobody expects to get a complaint

But you will.

How you handle it can make all the difference to your reputation as a business.

And your profits.

Which makes it one of the things that keeps business owners like you on edge, when you should be relaxing on holiday.

So, in the next 10 newsletters, I'm going to walk you through how to put together a really excellent process for dealing with complaints. Customised to suit your business. That you can then train every single person in your team to use.

But before we get started, I need to help you to think about complaints differently from the way most business owners do.

So in this newsletter I'm going to talk about:

• Why most business owners fear complaints
• Why you shouldn't fear complaints
• How you can reframe complaints to benefit your business

Why most business owners fear complaints

Most business owners make these common assumptions about complaints and the people who make them:

• They assume that people who complain are malicious and simply want to take advantage.
• They assume that all complaints are only about a specific technical issue.
• They see handling a complaint as simply fending off a liability, or protecting past revenues.
• They assume that a receiving complaint is necessarily the end of a relationship.

All of which makes them feel defensive or even adversarial when dealing with a complaint, which of course makes the experience intensely uncomfortable.

Which then makes them extremely reluctant to deal with complaints, or to try and get rid of them as quickly as possible by throwing money at them. Or worse, outsource handling of them to an AI bot, that suffers from all the above prejudices, and more.

Why you shouldn't fear complaints

Contrary to what most business owners believe:

Complaints are almost always about caring.

It may not feel like it, but when a customer complains about your product or service, they are demonstrating that they care.

Complaints happen when a customer feels that what they got from you is somehow less than what they expected.

They wouldn't have signed up with you at all if they hadn't liked you, and bought into your offer.

And when that falls short, they simply want to help you to improve your service, and prevent the same thing happening to someone else.

It is possible that they feel personally affronted and want to take that out on your business. But that is rare. It takes effort and a certain amount of guts to complain.

Complaints are mostly about being seen and heard.

Most people are not after unreasonable compensation, often, they don't seek compensation at all. They simply want to have a mistake and it's impact on them acknowledged.

And they want to make sure nobody else has to go through the same experience.

Complaints are actually about maintaining a relationship.

If a client or customer feels let down, it’s usually because they also feel they have a human relationship with you.

One they value highly enough to fight for. It's only fair to honour their intention.

How you can reframe complaints to benefit your business

Reframing complaints, starts with reframing what a business is.

A business is a system for making and keeping promises to the people it serves:

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Not any old promise, your Promise, that encapsulates the unique value you create for the people you serve.

Not any old people either, but your people. Those who need and will appreciate what only you can give them.

There are just two processes in this system:

1. Packaging, Sharing and Keeping your Promise
2. Using feedback to improve how you do that.

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Looked at in these terms, a complaint happens because a customer feels that the Promise you Kept for them, is somehow less than the Promise you Shared with them before they signed up with you.

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This means the problem that caused the complaint to happen doesn't lie with you, or any other individual in the business. Nor does it lie with the customer.

The problem lies with the processes in your system.

It might be in the way you Share your Promise:

• You’re not clear enough about what you offer and who it is for.
• You’re not clear enough about who it isn’t for to stop the wrong people signing up and being disappointed.

Or it might be in the way you Keep your Promise:

• You didn’t live up to the expectation you set.

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In other words, a complaint (like a glowing review, or a testimonial, or even a referral) is simply feedback.

Feedback you can use to improve the way you Share and Keep your Promise. Or even how you Package it.

Feedback that can turn what you probably think of as a cost, into a source of profit.

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But only if you create a process for dealing with complaints that acknowledges that the complainer cares, makes sure thy feel seen and heard, and allows them to co-create a solution that works for both of you.

A process that isn't about handling complaints, but about restoring their faith in your Promise. Turning a mismatch of expectations into a stronger bond between you. Turning an unhappy client into an advocate.

All that's to come.

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And that's it for this newsletter.

Here's what I hope you've learned:

• Clients and customers complain because they are invested in your business and want it to succeed. The least you can do is honour their intention.
• When you think of your business as a system for making and keeping promises to the people you serve, it's easy to see that complaints are simply feedback, telling you where your system isn't working as well as it should.
• A key process in that system is the one you build to receive that feedback graciously and use it to improve.

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Next time, we'll create a set of Props that are key to getting your Restore Customer Faith process right.

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Meanwhile, have a think about how my sketch of a business system maps onto what you actually do in your business.

Draw the diagram out on the back of an old year planner, or a piece of flipchart paper.

Then ask yourself:

• Who in your organisation is responsible for Sharing your Promise? Who for Keeping it? Who's responsble for coming up with Packages?
• Map these individuals, teams or departments onto the diagram.

then ask yourself:

• How do they know what to do?
• How do you know what they're doing?
• How do you and they know where prospects and clients are in the process?
• Map any documentation you have onto the diagram.

Feel free to book a quick chat if you'd like some feedback.

Or simply share your map with me. I'd love to see it.

Thanks for reading!

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