[325] How to Handle Customer Complaints
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Hey guys, you're listening to the English Made Simple Show. This is episode number 325, number 325, números 325. ♪♪♪

Welcome back, amigos y amigas. Welcome back, everybody. It's your host, Milena from EnglishMadeSimple.net. I'm here with another episode of the English Made Simple show. Today's episode is all about handling customer complaints. As if you were a professional customer service representative, we're going to keep it professional today. We're going to dive into

into some practical strategies for dealing with tricky customer service situations. So whether you are in a customer service role currently or not,

You just want to sharpen your communication skills. This episode is packed with tips to help you handle complaints with confidence and ease. We're going to keep it simple and you're going to learn some new phrases. You're going to learn some new skills as well. Trust me, amigos y amigas, I've learned this the hard way.

Let me tell you something. You really can't fully understand how to handle complaints until you are...

in the middle of it, okay? You are in the thick of it, dealing with a frustrated or even rude customer. You know how it is when you're dealing with someone who is rude. If you've ever worked in customer service and you get this customer who is very frustrated, angry, speaking to you in a very rude way. Well, sometimes it's not about you personally. They're just upset about the service they received or the service

the process that they've experienced with this brand or with this company. The key is knowing how to separate their frustration from yourself and focus on resolving the real issue that the customer has. Handling customer complaints might seem scary to some people, but with the right approach, you can make it as easy as possible.

I'm sure that some of you know what I'm talking about here. Some of you might have had an encounter with a rude customer before. I had my fair share of bad customers when I worked in customer service many, many, many years ago.

Often you just want to tell them to, you know, shut up, but you can't do that. So it's not nice to say to someone, you know, shut up. You can't say that to a customer, obviously. They are customers, so you have to be nice and polite and show empathy, right?

So in this episode, I'll share some tips and give you useful phrases to help you keep calm, be professional and resolve complaints as smoothly as possible. Alrighty, let's get started, amigos y amigas. What should we do first when we are faced with an angry customer? Step one, listen actively. Listen actively. The first tip is to listen actively.

It's tempting to jump right into problem solving, but sometimes all the customer needs is to feel heard. Okay, here's what I mean by active listening. What do I mean by active listening? It means paying close attention without interrupting. Show that you're listening by nodding, like moving your head up and down, like in agreement, you're nodding.

Or giving simple verbal cues like, I understand or I see. Okay? Some of the phrases you can use. Repeat back what a customer said to confirm that you understand. This shows empathy and reassures the customer that you're taking them seriously. So they just want to be heard. Let me give you some phrases as examples that you can use if you're ever thinking

faced with this type of situation. So here's something you could say. I understand your concern and I want to make sure I've got this right. You're saying that, and then you repeat the issue. Is that correct? So this helps the customer feel heard and respected. Often a calm, reassuring tone can diffuse tension right from the start.

I know sometimes you just want to react and reply in the same manner as the customer, okay? But we don't want to do that. So keep it calm and reassuring. We're going to repeat some of these phrases later on in this episode. So keep listening, amigos y amigas. What is step number two? What should we do next? Stay calm and keep your tone neutral. Customer complaints can be very emotional.

But it's important to stay calm when that happens. Even if the customer is upset, upset means angry and frustrated. A calm tone shows professionalism and helps keep the conversation productive. I know it can be very challenging to stay calm when you're faced with an angry customer. But here's what we can do. Tips for staying calm. Take a deep breath before responding.

Avoid taking any complaints personally. So it's not about you personally. They're not angry at you. Keep your tone neutral and avoid sounding defensive. So don't react, basically. Here's something that you could say, an example phrase. I appreciate you bringing this to our attention. Let's see how we can resolve this together. This phrase is neutral and encourages teamwork. So we are using the royal we.

let's see how we can resolve this together. It also acknowledges that you value their feedback, which can make the customer feel more cooperative. They are included in this process and maybe that's going to help them feel heard as well. So I appreciate you bringing this to our attention. Let's see how we can resolve this together. These are very powerful words to use in these heated type of situations.

Let's see step number three, what you could do as well. You could say, you know, you could apologize if it's needed. If you feel like it's needed, you can apologize to the customer and empathize a bit more. So if the complaint is valid, if you feel like they have the right to complain, you

An apology can go a long way. Even if the issue isn't directly your fault, a simple apology shows empathy and care for the customer's experience. So it's just a nice thing to do and it also helps the customer feel heard. So here's how you could actually say this in a very sincere way.

I'm really sorry you had this experience. That's all you have to say. I'm really sorry you had this experience. And it shows empathy. Here's something else you could say. Follow up with an expression of empathy, something else that we could use. I understand how frustrating that must be.

So you can actually understand why the customer is frustrated. You can be on their side and you can say, I understand how frustrating that must be. Whatever the complaint is about, you are just acknowledging that, yes, it can be frustrating. I understand. Awesome. Let's see what else we can say, what other phrases we can use. Here's something else you could use.

I'm sorry you've had this experience. I understand how disappointing it can be when things don't go as expected. So it's a bit of a long phrase, I guess. I'm sorry you've had this experience. Maybe that's enough to say. I understand how disappointing it can be when things don't go as expected.

This phrase shows that you care about their feelings and you're ready to help them, which often calms things down and brings the focus back to problem solving. And now we can start resolving whatever the issue the customer had. Step number four, what else we could do is we could start focusing on solutions for the customer. So after you've acknowledged the issue already,

that the customer had, you say, I understand, I'm sorry you've had this experience. Now we can focus on finding a solution. Maybe the customer has calmed down a bit after this. So this keeps the conversation positive and forward-looking, forward-looking, okay? It just means let's

you know, focus on the solution. Let's go past all the frustration and let's move forward. Okay, let's go to the next step. Make sense so far, amigos y amigas? I'll give you some examples. Solution-focused language. What can we use? You can use phrases like, let's look at what we can do to resolve this. Okay, so you're offering a solution to the customer who is very upset, very angry.

Or you can say, here are a couple of options we can try. If there are multiple solutions, yes, present them clearly so the customer can choose what works best. Let's see what other phrases we can use. Okay, well, let's see what we can do to make things right. Let's see what we can do to make this right. Here are a few options.

By focusing on solutions, you're moving the conversation toward a positive outcome. And it makes the customer look forward to the solution. It shows the customer you're committed to resolving their issue. It sounds simple in theory, doesn't it? Until you're faced with an angry and upset customer. Okay, step number five.

What else you could do? I think this is the final step here on how to handle customer complaints. You can follow up and confirm the solution. Once you've resolved the issue, make sure to follow up to confirm everything is resolved to the customer's satisfaction. They're happy. This is a final step that can make a big difference.

This is a final step that can make a big difference as it shows you care about their experience. You didn't forget about them. Follow-up actions, what we could do, confirm the resolution, the solution by asking, is there anything else I can assist you with?

Let them know they can reach out to you anytime. They can come back again anytime. That's how you show that you are helpful. Okay, let me give you some phrases. Let me give you a couple of phrases here. You could say at the end, thank you for your patience and I'm glad we could resolve this for you. If there's anything else you need, please feel free to reach out.

To reach out means to contact me. If there's anything else you need, please feel free to reach out. This step is like putting a little bow on top of the experience. This is like the final step, putting a little cherry on top of a cake. Okay, it's the final step. It shows professionalism and leaves the customer with a positive impression. So thank you for your patience and I'm glad that we could resolve this for you.

Simple as that and the customer will be happy after this.

So no more complaining. Okay, guys. So those were the five steps on how to handle customer complaints. Here are some phrases and expressions for you to remember. Let's go over a few phrases that we covered in today's episode, which you can use in customer service situations. You're welcome to practice these phrases now by repeating after me. So I'm going to say them out loud and then you can say them out loud after me. Okay.

I'll share with you five phrases. So number one was, I understand your concern. I understand your concern. This shows empathy and helps reassure the customer. The next phrase, thank you for bringing this to our attention. Thank you for bringing this to our attention. A polite way to acknowledge the complaint. Next phrase, let's see how we can resolve this together.

Let's see how we can resolve this together. Encourages teamwork. So this type of language, when you use the royal we or us, let us see how we, when you use this pronoun we in this type of situation, it makes things a little bit smoother and less hostile, I should say. So it encourages teamwork in finding a solution. Let's see how we can resolve this together.

And when you're ready to move on to your solution to the problem that the customer was having, you can say, here are a few options. Here are a few options. So if you have multiple ways to solve this customer's problem, you can say, here are a few options. It just gives the customer choices and they can stop complaining and think about the solution straight away.

And the last thing you can say is thank you for your patience. Thank you for your patience. A polite way to end the conversation on a positive note. Thank you for your patience. All making sense so far, amigos y amigas?

Cool bananas. So these phrases can make customer service interactions smoother and help build a positive relationship with the customer. So remember, handling complaints with empathy and professionalism can make a lasting difference.

I've experienced this type of service before when I was the customer who was complaining. And I can tell you when someone is professional on the other end is actually quite helpful. This is how you turn bad customer service into a positive one. Follow my tips. Okay, cool. And now that wraps up the episode for today.

First off, let me just tell you guys a big thank you to all of you for tuning in, for listening and for your patience. Thank you for your patience while waiting for this episode. Life has been a bit hectic for me lately because, well, I'm moving house. It's been a whirlwind of organizing, renting out my current place where I'm staying, finding removalists to move my furniture, etc.

booking cleaners and of course packing and let me tell you something I'm so over packing packing my clothes I realize I've got too many things too much stuff so yeah it's been a bit of a crazy whirlwind experience and

My home currently looks like it's been hit by a tornado. A real mess at the moment. But I'm staying hopeful, amigos y amigas, and I'm aiming to record at least one more episode for you before the year ends. Let's end the year on a high note to get that. Thank you for listening to today's episode. I hope these tips that I shared with you today help you handle any tough customer service situations.

Like a professional, okay? Remember, the key is to stay calm, listen actively, and focus on solutions when you're dealing with someone who's complaining. With a bit of patience and the right language, you can turn even the hardest complaints into positive interactions. And just remember, stay nice and polite, even when it's the last thing you feel like doing.

If you're enjoying the English Made Simple show, don't forget to visit EnglishMadeSimple.net and please do me a favor. Please share this episode with your friends and enemies and help spread the word. You've been jamming with Milena. Keep practicing, amigos y amigas. Stay cool and keep in touch. Until next time. Hasta la próxima.