Michelle Rodger: A complaint could be the best thing you ever hear

Published on Saturday 31 January 2009 13:02

WERE you lucky enough to read the excellent letter of complaint sent to Virgin Atlantic last week? (If not, Google it before reading the rest of this column.)

The complainant, who described opening the lid of his main meal as like receiving "a dead hamster for Christmas", wrote to Sir Richard Branson to convey his disappointment with the food served on his flight from Mumbai to Heathrow in December.

Alongside photographic evidence of what could only loosely be described as a meal, the passenger detailed explicitly what was wrong with both the presentation and the preparation. His tongue-in-cheek bon mot prompted a telephone call from Sir Richard and an invitation to Virgin Atlantic's catering house to contribute to the selection of the next range of meals and wines to be served on board.

What a result. Although I'm quite sure a couple of first class tickets would have been better received.

Complaining is an art form. I love it. It's probably a female thing; substitute nagging for complaining and you'll see where I'm coming from. But if I have a gripe, it's that most of us complainers aren't very good at it.

Aristotle said: "Anyone can become angry. That is easy. But to be angry with the right person, to the right degree, at the right time, for the right purpose and in the right way – that is not easy." How true.

We raise our voices, swear at the wrong person, demand to see someone higher in authority, threaten to tell the press and our friends, and then ultimately sulk when we don't get our own way. What we don't do is offer a suggestion on how to remedy the problem. We are not constructive when we complain, so how can we expect a fair outcome?

But we're even worse at receiving complaints graciously. Someone complaining is giving you an opportunity to redeem your business in his or her eyes. They haven't just marched off to the competition.

It's worth remembering that 95% of customers who complain will remain loyal to you and recommend you to their friends and business associates if you remedy their complaint effectively.

Seen through the eyes of someone who is focused on continually improving their business, a complaint is the perfect chance to learn from your mistakes.

Not surprisingly, the current recession is turning out to be the perfect customer service learning opportunity. With consumers seeking value-for-money products and services, companies are now forced to try much harder to impress their customers to keep them from slipping into the clutches of competitors.

The UK Customer Satisfaction Index asked more than 24,000 people to rate how well or how badly companies and organisations performed in 12 key public and private sectors. And despite concerns about the economy, satisfaction levels actually increased in December 2008 compared to July 2008.

Duncan Baker, director of communications for the Institute for Customer Service, believes complaints from customers are tantamount to free consultancy. He reckons people need to complain more to improve customer service across the board. The recession is making people more choosy, money is tight and people are more careful about where they spend it. As a result, he warns, one in three customers will walk away from an organisation if they feel their complaint hasn't been handled properly.

The challenge is in how organisations handle these complaints, whether they are seen as an opportunity to improve a business process, service or product or whether in fact they are ignored or, worse still, hidden in case someone gets the blame.

Good customer service is vital to surviving the recession. It may be the only differentiator you have from the competition. And while hindsight is a wonderful thing, learning quickly from your mistakes is almost as good.

Oh, and if you do happen to experience fabulous service then please don't keep it to yourself – share it with other customers, and of course the business that succeeded in impressing you.