When a customer first makes a complaint, take a step back. It can be difficult to remain impassive in the face of criticism, but an emotional response will only serve to irritate the customer further.
Give the customer your full attention and listen to the whole problem before responding. Put yourself in their shoes - if you had a problem, you would want someone to listen to you. Appearing disinterested, or attempting to argue back, will only exacerbate the situation.
Don’t jump the gun. You might deal with complaints on a regular basis, and may well have handled a similar situation before. However, for the customer, their complaint is unique to them. Treat them as an important individual by listening to their problem in full.
Try to understand. In the face of a complaint, it’s easy to be defensive - particularly if you don’t believe you’re at fault. However, you have to put yourself in the customer’s shoes. If you were on the receiving end of their experience, would you personally be satisfied?
Always use your initiative when dealing with complaints. If the blame lies with one particular member of staff, it is often best to remove the customer from their presence. This can defuse tension and emotion, and help the customer to re-evaluate their anger.
However, never pass the customer around from person to person. Each complaint should ideally be handled by one staff member. Therefore, you should always ensure that the person assigned to the case has the authority to deal with the situation.
Find more at: http://www.skillsyouneed.com/rhubarb/dealing-with-complaints.html#ixzz3kgmesUzS