Agent support manual

Complaints - receiving a complex complaint

It is inevitable that customers will, at times, make a complaint. Here at Bushland Blooms, we believe in dealing with these complaints as quickly and efficiently as possible. It is essential that our customers feel valued and happy to do business with us.

A complaint is an expression of dissatisfaction from a customer. It could relate to: bullet point.

a product , bullet point.
a service , bullet point.
billing , bullet point.
a staff member , bullet point.
a policy or procedure.

Generally, simple complaints are dealt with by the individual agent taking the call.

If the complaint is more complex, involving a request for compensation that goes beyond an individual agent's discretionary limit, or where previous attempts to resolve the problem have failed, then the complaint is escalated to the team leader or supervisor. If the complaint contains a request for compensation, then it will automatically be escalated to the Complaints department.

All complaints must be formally logged on the Customer database (accessed from the Intranet). bullet point.

Select Customer Care. , bullet point.
Select your customer. , bullet point.
Scroll down to fill in the details.

You will need to include the following information: bullet point.

date , bullet point.
customer's name and at least one contact number , bullet point.
complaint details , bullet point.
any action already taken.

and, if appropriate: bullet point.

the escalation process , bullet point.
action plan details , bullet point.
customer's response to proposal (if appropriate) , bullet point.
details of agreed resolution , bullet point.
complaint resolution.

If you are receiving a complaint for the first time, ensure you have at least the first four items recorded on the Customer Care record.

Take ownership of the complaint

When a complaint is escalated, an agent will be assigned to handle the complaint resolution process. If you are that agent, you will take ownership of the complaint and be responsible for its resolution.

You should begin by letting the customer know that you will be dealing with the complaint from now on and that you will keep them informed of any progress. This gives the customer confidence that they will be dealt with directly, and not passed from one person to another.

[Agent] This is ______________ from Bushland Blooms. Am I speaking to Mr Green?

[Mr Green] Yes, this is Mr Green.

[Agent] Hello Mr Green. My name is ____________ and I will be responsible for investigating and resolving your complaint from now on. I will keep you informed throughout the resolution process.

[Mr Green] That's great, does that mean that I won't get passed around from agent to agent any more!

[Agent] Yes Mr Green, we will try to make the process as smooth as possible. Now, if you have any further queries, you can contact me directly by calling 9857 4444.

Inform the customer that you need to collect all relevant information

For most escalated complaints, you will need to collect additional information before you can help the customer. Make sure that you inform the customer that you will be researching the complaint, and discuss an appropriate time to call them back with your findings.

You should call the customer back no later than 48 hours after their call. If this is not possible, you must keep the customer informed of your progress.

Have a look at this part of a call where an agent takes ownership of a complaint:

[Agent] Now, in order to be properly informed and to ensure that I find the right resolution for you, I will need to gather all the relevant information and documentation. I will call you back either today or tomorrow. When would be a convenient time for you?....

Review what has happened up to that point

Now that you have taken ownership of the complaint you must make sure you are properly informed.

To do this, you will need to review what has happened so far. This will usually involve finding out who has done what, and when. bullet point.

Refer to the Customer Care record on the database. , bullet point.
Refer to the Customer complaint file if it has been started. However, check that all relevant information has been included. , bullet point.
Contact the Complaints department for information on any previous complaints made by the customer.

The Bushland Blooms Complaints department stores information about complaints previously made. It also oversees the progress of complaints and ensures that the process will be carried out correctly.

Obtain information relevant to the complaint

Collect data about the complaint from everyone involved.

The information you collect may include: bullet point.

quotes/invoices/purchase details , bullet point.
transcripts of any relevant calls , bullet point.
notes from any staff involved including bullet point.
- how the complaint started , bullet point.
- how the customer sounded on the phone , bullet point.
- why the customer is dissatisfied with any resolution offered , bullet point.
- the agent's point of view on how they handled the call , bullet point.
- why the complaint was escalated.

Your objective is to track the complaint by looking at all the communications between the customer and relevant staff. You want a clear picture of what has happened so that you can move on to the next stage of developing a plan to resolve the complaint.

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