216: The Right Way to Complain

Adam and Jeannie discuss how to get the best results when you complain as a customer. What do you gain when you complain? We talk a lot about how to handle customer complaints, but we’re switching it up a bit today! We’ve all had those experiences that leave us so steamed, we just want to unload a verbal clip on the next employee who comes our way. But there’s a big difference between getting actual support and just getting your way from service reps, managers and supervisors.  Though most of us prefer to do business with companies that “get it,” sometimes it’s not practical to stop patronizing the drug store right around the corner or the cable provider we’re contracted with. If the overall experience still works for us, there are ways to make the parts that don’t more bearable, or even inspire positive change. The sad truth is, not every company we deal with is as customer-focused as we are. So how can we get the best results, without making a bad experience worse? How can we stand up for ourselves without creating tense relationships for the long-term? We don’t need to walk on egg shells with companies that don’t provide a good experience, but applying a few customer-centric practices to advocate for ourselves can help them see the value in listening to us and maintain healthy relationships. Working towards better experiences for everyone is sometimes a two-way street, and just expecting reps to “take it” from us is not part of the recipe. Adam and Jeannie have some great tips to help you complain in ways that help create better experiences all around. Listen in! Related Content 360Connext® post, 3 Ways to Win Big When Customers Are Furious Customers That Stick® post, How to Be a Good Customer: 16 Ways to Not Be a Jerk Episode Episode 001: Apple Store Lady, Jackie Huba, and Heathrow Airport 198: (Tip) No Cost Ways to Please Unhappy Customers We’re on C-Suite Radio! Check it out for more great podcasts Sponsor message: Give your team the customer service training they deserve Want to bring game-changing customer service training to your team? CTS Service Solutions offers a half-day in-person workshop designed to motivate and educate your customer-facing team members. Using energy, excitement, and interaction, our workshop helps frontline teams embrace a customer-centric outlook, then — using the principles from our book Be Your Customer’s Hero — gives them the skills and confidence they need to handle any service interaction. Don’t leave your frontline team hanging… Give them the training they deserve. Learn more at customerheroworkshop.com, that is customerheroworkshop.com.   Take care of yourself and take care of your customers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices