8 Ways to Respond to Complaints
These steps will help to get your story across and possibly generate a more
sympathetic response from the complaining customer:
- Before responding, gather all complaint-related material from as many
individuals as possible.
- Compile the facts and double-check that they are accurate. With this information, decide how
best to resolve the situation.
- In your letter, refer to the complaint letter by date.
- Identify the item or problem that they encountered.
- If your company is at fault, apologize. This puts the customer into a more understanding
disposition.
- Explain how the error occurred, supported with relevant information.
- State exactly how you intend to solve the problem.
- If you cannot solve the problem as they wish, try to make a slight adjustment.
Keep Records for
Reference
Keep a copy of this letter on file, as the customer may respond to you.
The response letter may be required to clarify or amend what your originally wrote. |