Complaints Handling

Sometimes members can give negative feedback to us, hopefully it does not happen often however, we need to be ready for when the time comes. When the time does we really need to put our service culture (BELONG) into action. We use Laces to overcome member complains. This way we can predict the best possible outcome. 

Please ready through the scripts below and even try a practice quiz so you can be ready to overcome any complains coming your way. 

Where to start?

Complaints will usually start with a Phone Call.  A customer calls up unhappy and lets you or one of your team mates know about it.

1. Listen - We need to start with demonstrating as much empathy as we can. Listen to them, let them express themselves without interruption. Get their full story. You might find that if you let them get it all out, they may cool down a lot and the complaint may finish here with a simple "You should be aware about this". If the complaint is all about making you aware of the issue, ensure you take note and let them know you will speak with the people involved. Even if you don't agree with the issue simply agreeing to look into it can be enough to reassure the customer that we heard them. It also demonstrates that we care enough to take their opinion onboard. Make sure you check the notes in their file, AND leave notes as well.
   
   

2. Wanting Action - Sometimes the customer wants action to be taken over their complaint. If you can accomodate them, let them know you will fix it up for them right away.If you can't, you need to kindly explain to them why. The more information on how things work the better. Try to explain to them the whole picture. If there is something that could have been done to prevent this, let them know for next time examples:
   A) We cannot backdate a freeze so all they need to do is let us know prior to the billing cycle on X day in the future.
   B) They went on holidays for 2 weeks and didn't use the gym  so they now want a refund. Let them know of the freeze option and that we can change their debits to weekly debits so next time even if its just 1 week away they can let us know and we can freeze their membership in weekly blocks.
   
   

3. They still want to take it further - Sometimes a customer will just want to take it further. Even if your Manager is just going to say the same thing as you. Don't take it to personally, this just happens from time to time and is often delivered from a very angry customer. At this point just let them know that if they are unhappy with the outcome you understand however you are unable to help any further, but if the do wish to submit a complaint VIA EMAIL they defiantly can and you manager will get back to them. It is so important that it is via email and not a "returned phone call". An email requires the customer to stop and take the time to think about their complaint and why they should be exempt from the rules. A lot of the time the customer will go away and not send the complaint as after they have taken the time to calm down they may see why you were unable to help them and understand.
   
   

4. The Manager Receives the email complaint - The first thing as a manager, that you are going to do is read the customers profile from top to bottom. Has this customer made any other complaints? Have they had this issue in the past? Check the contact tab to see if they have received any automated emails or SMS's about the matter in the past. After the manager has read their profile they will make the decision to call or email. If the customer is regularly abusive, or there is a lot of detailed information that they can provide (e.g. time and dates for 4+ emails sent) it is best to respond via email. Remember to use the scripts were possible rather than responding directly to the emotional/argumentative parts of the complaint. Scripts are below, remember to edit out the red parts to suit your individual circumstance: