How to turn complaints into brand-loyal customers

The goal of any company is to turn their customers into brand-loyal customers. Having a superior product is only one source of making brand loyal customers, being a superior company is going to secure your customers loyalty no matter your competitor's offers or promotions, and that is the goal of every company.

For the purposes of teaching you, the reader, how to turn a complaint into a brand loyal customer, we will be using Wal Mart (the monster mega store of the business industry).

Complaints can be seen as a negative, or in the world of business, it is much better to see them as a positive. You can use the complaints you receive (and every company will receive them) as suggestions to improve your product, the way it is presented, your customer service, or your company in general.

It will be important for you to know if a product is being returned why it is being returned and what would have made the customer more apt to keep the product. You will want to keep track of these complaints that customers have about your product or products in order to know what products to discontinue, which to continue carrying, or simply what to improve on in your product.

When a customer returns a product to Wal Mart the Wal Mart policy is always to accept the product with a smile and allow the customer to exchange, replace, or if they have the receipt, receive their money back. In this way Wal Mart can keep track of what is being returned, how often, and why. Keeping track of such information will help them to know how much and what to carry in the future.

More importantly though than the fact that they keep track of what is returned, or what is complained about, is the fact that they are willing to happily accept back their product and take responsibility for the problem,(though the problem is rarely actually theirs). By doing so they gain confidence from their customers that this is a company who is willing to stand by what it sells by continuing to carry what is useful to the customer,and take responsibility for the products that don't work for the customer.

This fantastic customer service policy is the best way to make a customer loyal to your company and your products. Generally when a customer has a complaint they want to be listened to, and understood. Having someone who is willing to listen to each customer who has a problem is going to do more for your company than bringing in more products ever will. By listening to these customers you are gaining their trust and having their trust means they will return and as you do add in new products you will already have a customer base that trusts you enough to purchase them.

Another equally important side of customer service is solving the customer's problem, in as much as this is possible. If a customer returns a product because it did not work properly, listening to them, and then allowing them to exchange the product or find a different product, or even simply allowing them to have their money back, is going to guarantee their loyalty to you in the future. Everyone who makes a purchase anywhere is going to have doubts about whether that product will meet their needs, that customer needs to know that you will be there to help them if it does not.

Wal Mart focuses on hiring friendly employees and training them in great customer service. It is not only their low prices that continually bring customers in but the fact that customers can trust them to always put the customer first if something goes wrong.

You too can turn your customer's complaints into brand-loyal customers. By not only selling a superior product but by being willing to adjust your products according to the consumers needs and desires, and by doing so through listening and responding positively to complaints.