Customer Service is Key

When you run a business, customer complaints are bound to happen. Make sure your customer service team is equipped with the knowledge to make the experience for your customer a positive one.”LAST” is an easy-to-remember acronym to remember when working with customers, clients, and guests through their problems:

L – Listen
A – Acknowledge / Apologize
S – Solve
T – Thank

Listen

First, listen to their complaint. Often times, customers just want to be heard! By listening, and giving them your undivided attention, you show that you care about them, their business and solving their problem.

Acknowledge / Apologize

Next, apologize if this is something that could have been prevented. If you made a mistake, or one of your employees messed up, apologize. But if the problem was outside of your control, simply acknowledge it. Do NOT apologize for how the customer feels. “I’m sorry you feel that way” means you don’t agree with them.

Solve

Now that you know what the problem is, find a solution. Try to compensate your client with what they lost. For example, if the problem cost the client money, reimburse them. If the problem cost the client time, how can you give them some time back?

Thank

Finally, thank your client for bringing his/her complaint to you. They easily could have kept this to themselves or ranted on social media but instead, they took the time to bring their problem to you.

So next time you’re dealing with a customer complaint, remember the acronym LAST and work on turning a negative situation into a positive one.