Simplify complaints handling for customers & employees with a survey

A complaint is the expression of dissatisfaction on the part of the customer about a purchased product. This can be done verbally or in writing.

There are various reasons for a complaint about goods. We have summarized the most common causes below:

• The product does not work.
• The product was delivered incomplete.
• The wrong product was delivered.
• The customer’s expectations were not met.
• The quantity delivered does not match the order (too much or too little).
• The product was delivered too late.
• It was an impulse purchase, the customer does not need the product.

As a buyer, there is a right to receive a defect-free product. If the customer receives a product that has a defect, he can make one of the following claims to the seller:

1. Exchange/Repair
If the purchased item does not work, the customer will receive a new product upon return of the defective item. Alternatively, the product can be repaired at the expense of the seller.

2. Withdrawal
He also has the right to withdraw from the purchase contract. In this case he will get his money back against return of the product.

3. Reduction
Furthermore, he has the possibility to demand a reduction of the purchase price. For example, if the purchased product has only a small defect, which does not affect the functionality of the product.

It sounds irritating at first that a customer complaint can actually have advantages for the company. First of all, there are the obvious aspects that a complaint causes more work for the seller and costs him money. So where should the advantage lie?

By reporting a fault or defect, the customer first of all makes you aware of a problem with a product. This gives you the opportunity to analyze the problem, fix it if necessary, and significantly improve your products. If production defects are reported, for example, you have the opportunity to rectify them as quickly as possible and thus save further defect costs. It is therefore an additional quality control.

The product is broken, your customer is standing in front of you angry – this is annoying, but it can happen. Much more important than the defective product, however, is how you deal with the customer’s complaint. Good complaint management is characterized by the fact that your customer goes home satisfied despite the problem.

You do this by listening to your customer, apologizing, and then finding a solution to the problem. If you manage to satisfy your customer, he will no longer hold a grudge for long, but at best you have managed to strengthen customer loyalty and trust even more. Because now the customer knows that it also receives help from you in the case of a problem.

Also keep in mind that it is always better for a company to be informed about a mistake than for your customer to just be annoyed for himself, not report the mistake and never buy from you again. This way you have not only lost the customer, but also the opportunity to adjust and optimize your products.

Complaints are annoying. To make the best of the situation and make the handling as effective as possible for both sides, surveys are a good option.

With a survey from easyfeedback, for example, you can request all the relevant data you need to process the complaint in one form. This includes, for example, information about the product, the reason for the complaint, personal data of the customer and whether he wants an exchange or a refund. In addition, you also have the opportunity to query potential for improvement and receive valuable feedback.

By recording the complaint via a questionnaire, you avoid having incomplete data. This saves your employees work and ensures quick and uncomplicated processing, from which your customer also benefits. After all, simple complaint handling builds trust and gives your customer the feeling that they can buy from you without risk.

In our templates, we have prepared a form for customer complaints. Of course, you can adapt this to your individual needs.