Handling customer complaints online or in-person is never fun, but these often uncomfortable situations are actually a chance for you and your business to shine. They are an opportunity to develop more meaningful relationships with customers, turning dissatisfied prospects into long-term buyers.
Not only that, but the smartest businesses focus on preventing complaints in the first place, identifying common issues and figuring out ways to mitigate them throughout the customer experience. This way, you can reduce the number of frustrated customers while creating a smoother buyer’s journey for everyone.
But when a customer does complain, you want to have protocols and practices in place to greet those comments with calm, care, and intelligence, whether in an ecommerce or brick and mortar setting.
Excellent customer service should always be a priority, but in the unfortunate event that you receive a customer complaint, here are ten tips on how to handle it.
1. Stay Calm
It’s essential to stay calm when handling a customer complaint. This can be difficult, especially since your business is a point of pride for you. But you don’t have to take the complaint personally. Often, a customer complaint will highlight an area that can improve upon.
Not only that, but getting upset, losing your cool, or communicating poorly with a customer is never advisable. You are more likely to make good progress and satisfy your customer's needs if you take a step back and wait until you can address the issue with calm and patience.
2. Listen
If a customer comes to you with a problem, it means that they want to be heard. Even if the complaint seems trivial to you, it likely means something to them, as they are taking their time to reach out to you.
Whether a complaint is typed or spoken directly to you, you should listen actively to what’s being communicated. Don't assume that you know what the customer wants or needs, and don't dismiss them as trivial either. Hear them out and pay close attention to what they're saying.
When frustrated, people can have difficulty expressing their concerns or what they need from you to make them happy. Allowing your customer to talk (or type) will give him or her time to calm down. Often, you can resolve an issue just by listening to your customers and allowing them to vent.
3. Be kind
In most instances, you can diffuse anger and frustration by remaining kind and understanding.
You can tell your customer straight away that you appreciate them reaching out about their concerns and that you want to understand exactly how they are feeling. A statement such as this from the get-go lets your customer know that you care and are ready to listen. It helps your customer know that you’re on their side in finding a reasonable resolution.
4. Acknowledge the issue
After you've heard them out, show the customer that you understand their problem. Paraphrasing what your customer has said and repeating it back to them lets them know that you listened and you’re ready to help.
Acknowledging the problem doesn’t mean that you have to agree with your customer, it just shows that you understand and respect where they’re coming from. You can make statements like, “I understand that this must be very frustrating for you,” and create space for shared acknowledgement by saying, “If I understand you correctly,” and then talk through the issue once more.
5. Apologize and thank them
It may feel difficult, but swallowing your pride and apologizing for your customer's poor experience will put you way ahead of the game. As with acknowledgment, apologizing does not mean that you agree with the customer, nor are you taking the blame.
It may seem counterintuitive, but thanking your customer for reaching out with their issue will also show that you're always trying to improve your business, and that you value your customers’ feedback.
6. Ask questions
After you've listened to your customer's complaint, it's your turn to take the initiative and get all the facts. Now is the time that you can calmly start asking questions for clarification. Start a genuine conversation with your customer. Kindness, active listening, and acknowledgment all help you gain that customer’s trust.
However, it’s imperative that you don’t ask questions that your customer has already answered. Making them repeat themselves can heighten emotions again and make your customer feel like you weren't listening in the first place.
This is harder in person or over the phone than it is via email or client portals, but it’s worth keeping track of the conversation closely so you’re not repeating steps toward resolution.
7. Make it speedy
Once you've gathered all of the information you need, now is your chance to find a solution that makes everyone happy. The faster you find a reasonable solution that everyone can agree on, the happier your customer will be.
It's important to be flexible here. While it's important to follow your company protocols and guidelines, it's also important to be able to go the extra mile for your customers. This isn’t to say that you should offer a solution that your business can’t actually follow through with, as that will generate mistrust and set a challenging precedent moving forward.
Perhaps offering a small gift card or a discount on future purchases will be enough to assuage the situation. You might also consider replacing the item for free or upgrading their future purchase or membership. Spending a bit of capital in this short exchange may lead to that customer returning and being a generous source of recurring revenue.
When trying to find a solution, give your employees enough freedom to make judgment calls independently. Passing an upset customer up a chain of command may only make the situation worse, so it's important to avoid it when possible.
8. Document their responses
Complaints often include hidden opportunities for improving your product or service. Documenting them can help you identify flaws, issues, and trends. It could be a product glitch that you need to immediately address. Or maybe it's a campaign-specific complaint that your marketing department can look into. Whatever the case, make sure to record all customer complaints for future use.
With the complaints documented, you can bring them up in monthly and annual meetings to seek advice on how to tackle the issue. Customer feedback is often a meaningful source of optimization and innovation.
9. Follow up
Contacting your customers after solving their issues may seem like the last thing you want to do, but following up with them shows that you value their feedback, understand their concerns, and genuinely care about their business.
During this follow-up, apologize again and make sure you've taken care of everything they needed. At this point, if the customer is happy, there's a really good chance that they will return for more of what you have to offer, and become a source of future business via word of mouth marketing.
10. Come out from behind the screen
Just because the internet has made it easier to provide customer service virtually doesn't mean you should always interact via live chat or email. It can pay to have a video call with your customers.
Although it doesn't have the same effect as an actual face-to-face conversation, video conferencing still allows you to convey emotions and non-verbal cues. This is a nice way to show that you really intend to help out and solve the experience problem that led to the complaint.
You can attach a face to conversations easily enough with video conferencing apps like Zoom or Skype.
Preventing common complaints before they happen
Smart businesses understand that the best complaint is one that never happens. Most customer frustrations stem from predictable issues: unclear delivery information, stock shortages, misleading product details, and website problems.
By addressing these areas proactively, you can dramatically reduce the number of unhappy customers who contact you.
Shipping and delivery transparency
Customers get anxious when they don't know where their order is or when it will arrive. Clear communication about shipping policies and delivery times can eliminate most of these concerns before they start.
Make sure every shipping option at checkout shows the expected delivery timeframe. Provide tracking numbers automatically when orders ship, so customers can monitor their package's progress. If you're experiencing delays, communicate this clearly on your homepage rather than waiting for customers to discover it themselves.
When shipments take longer than expected, reach out proactively with updates and solutions. Acknowledge how frustrating delays can be, and offer expedited shipping for replacement orders when packages go missing.
Managing inventory effectively
Nothing disappoints customers more than finding the perfect item only to discover it's sold out at checkout. Effective stock management helps you predict demand and avoid these situations.
Review your sales data to identify seasonal patterns and peak demand periods. Which months see the highest sales of certain items? Are there specific events or promotions that drive traffic spikes? Use this information to stock up on popular items before busy seasons.
For items that do sell out, offer email notifications for when they're back in stock. Some businesses even use limited-time pre-orders to gauge demand before production.
Accurate product representation
When products don't match customer expectations, returns and complaints are inevitable. Investing in detailed descriptions and quality photography prevents most of these issues.
Take photos in different lighting conditions to show true colors, and include images from multiple angles. Write detailed descriptions that cover dimensions, materials, and functionality. For clothing, include size charts and model measurements.
Consider adding customer photos or reviews that show products in real-world settings. Live chat support can also help customers ask specific questions about size, color, or features before purchasing.
Website functionality and user experience
A frustrating website experience can turn interested shoppers into angry customers who close your shop’s tab well before making a purchase. Regular testing and continuous optimization keep your site running smoothly.
Ensure your checkout process is simple and fast. Test your site's loading speed and core functionality regularly, especially on mobile devices where many customers shop. A website that works well on desktop devices may not function nearly as well on mobile. Make sure all links work properly and navigation is intuitive for users of all technical skill levels.
Have team members or friends test your site regularly, clicking every link and trying to complete purchases. When customers report website issues, treat these as urgent priorities since technical problems often affect multiple users.
Common customer complaints (and how to solve them)
Now that we've gone over tips on how to respond to customer complaints, let's look at the most common customer complaints in ecommerce and how to solve them.
Product is out of stock or on backorder
It's frustrating when you're patiently waiting for a product to become available, only to face disappointment when it never shows up in stock. Customers who are anxiously awaiting a specific product may be calling you or emailing you regularly to find out when or if you'll restock the item.
Even though you may not know when you’ll have the product available again, you can address the issue partially by telling your customer that you’ll let them know when the item is back in stock. Make sure you actually follow through with your promise, though.
Pro tip: If you're using Shopify to run your business, you can ask customers to subscribe for stock updates. Apps like Notifications make it easy to notify customers about stock level changes, individual purchases, and more.
Lack of follow-through
Suppose you've promised your customer something and never get around to it. They call or email you and you never respond. Sometimes all it takes is one ignored message or email and you suddenly have an angry customer.
You can avoid this by staying on top of your emails and messages regularly. However, there's always the chance that something will slip through the cracks, especially on an ecommerce site with tons of traffic and products.
If this happens to you, own up to your mistake. Apologize to the client and handle the issue right then and there. Try to avoid putting the problem off, and remember to follow up a few days after you've resolved the problem.
Customer service issues
It’s frustrating when customer service representatives don’t know the ins and outs of your business, seem disinterested, or ignore customers.
If you carry a product or offer a service, both you and your employees are expected to be the experts. When customers have questions that can't be answered or if they can't find someone to answer their questions, you've got a problem.
Make sure your employees are well-acquainted with your products and services, as well as trained in customer service. If the above does happen to you, you can assure your customer that customer service reps are receiving training.
Plus, offer to send additional information about the product. And be sure to address these kinds of issues with the employee as well.
Broken or defective product
It's expected that a customer would complain if a product breaks or if the service does not meet their expectation. If you're not the product manufacturer, then this may not be your fault, but the customer might blame you for it anyway. Or, due to misunderstanding how to use the product, they simply have a lack of knowledge.
You can handle this by replacing or refunding the dysfunctional product. Find out what the customer needs, then help them accomplish that with the chosen item or service. Or educate the customer if there's a lack of understanding of how the product or service works. Explainer videos work well as educational resources, and can be repurposed as marketing collateral.
Be proactive
There is no shortage of forums, channels, and platforms for customer feedback and reviews.
Even if customers aren’t complaining directly to you or via feedback forms, they’re likely leaving reviews or complaints across the internet. Many of these are worth researching and addressing.
Sometimes, if left alone, these complaints can snowball and turn into a much bigger issue, so it's important to be proactive and address these as quickly as possible.
Some platforms to keep tabs on:
Remember that it's okay to stand up for yourself
People complain. We all do it, but if a situation gets out of hand and if the customer is belligerent or threatening, you have every right to deny service or stop the conversation.
While there is merit to the saying, “the customer is always right,” it doesn’t apply to every situation and you absolutely don’t have to put up with mistreatment.
Handling customer complaints is not fun for most of us, but if done in a warm, professional manner, chances are both you and your customer will be satisfied with the outcome, and you'll end up with a life-long customer.
Customer feedback represents a valuable opportunity to strengthen your business. When someone takes time to share their concerns with you, they're essentially providing free consulting on how to improve your operations. By listening carefully and implementing changes based on their input, you can create better experiences for future customers while building stronger relationships with current ones.
Handling customer complaints FAQ
What are the most common customer complaints?
For an ecommerce business, the most common customer complaints include items being out of stock, little to no customer care or follow-through, broken or defective products, and issues with the store’s user experience, especially on product landing pages or shopping carts. Also watch out for unclear delivery information and misleading product details.
What are the steps to handling most customer complaints?
While every customer complaint is different, there are ways to approach every issue with confidence. These are to:
- Stay calm – Approach the problem with a peaceful state of mind sets the foundation for effective complaint handling.
- Listen – Often, paying attention to what customers are saying will help you understand the issue at hand.
- Be kind – Be kind and understanding. It will help you diffuse anger and frustration.
- Acknowledge the issue – Reiterate the complaint to demonstrate that you understood the customer's pain point and respect them for connecting with you.
- Apologize and thank them – Swallowing your ego and apologizing for the poor experience can help you gain a competitive edge.
- Ask questions – Start a conversation by calmly asking customers questions for gathering facts and taking the initiative.
- Make it speedy – Come up with a quick resolution and only promise something that you can follow up on to make customers happy.
- Document their responses – Document every complaint so that you and your team can review them later to identify issues, opportunities, and trends.
- Follow up – After coming up with a resolution, reach out to customers to let them know that their satisfaction is your top priority and apologize again for the negative experience.
- Come out from behind the screen – Use web conferencing tools to have a video call with the customers so that they know you care.
How do you prevent customer complaints?
It’s unfortunately not possible to avoid every customer complaint, but you can get ahead of potential issues before they cause you to lose business.
Make sure you have clear shipping policies and up-to-date information on delivery times. Effective stock management can help you predict demand and avoid running out of high-demand items during busy seasons, and providing email notifications for customers who’re ready to buy and willing to wait is a good way to retain business.
You also want to make sure that product descriptions and images match the products themselves. Otherwise, customer expectations are too high or low, which can cause complaints down the line.
Finally, a frustrating website experience can make potential customers churn and tell others how challenging it is to use your webshop. Invest time and effort into regular testing and a continuous optimization plan.