1. Firefighting TIPS

2. 1. If you take it, you own it.
• No matter the seniority, the person at your company
who takes a complaint is fully responsible for
following it through to a resolution. Don't pass the
buck. Make sure it gets fully resolved.

3. 2. Act quickly.
• Here is your chance for the company to shine. Look
at the complaint as a gift, a moment to show off the
brand--that is, the part of it that makes people
satisfied, not the part that messes up sometimes.

4. • Let customers know--in the immortal words of Bill
Clinton--that you feel their pain. Let them know that
you empathize with what they are going through.
Say, "I understand how upset you must feel." Who
can argue with that? This will work for you even
when you've done nothing wrong. You are not
necessarily agreeing with the customer or
apologizing, when you say it. You're just walking in
his shoes.

5. • Everyone makes mistakes. Customers understand
that. They just want you to fix it when you screw up.
In the meantime, don't be afraid to say, "I'm sorry.
This is not how we like to do business.”
• This doesn't get you off the hook. It just
acknowledges the problem, which everyone
appreciates. It also reinforces that your
brand, vision, and culture don't have room for what
went wrong.

6. • Don't try and convince the customer that it's really
not as bad as he thinks. That feels patronizing, which
just pours gasoline on the embers, and puts him back
on defense. No one wants to feel unjustified. That
never works.