Not many people in the world love complaints – especially because they force us to evaluate our own shortcomings. In your Middle Market company, you logically understand your products, services, and employees aren’t perfect. But, you probably don’t enjoy having someone call those shortcomings out into the open.
Instead of going out of your way to avoid them, what breakthroughs could exist if you leaned into the complaints? What if you start embracing each as an opportunity?
Learn Something New About Your Organization, Products & People
Every complaint you receive is an opportunity – to solve an issue and make someone else happier and to learn. Employees, executives, and customers all have different experiences with your organization and each can offer invaluable feedback.
What you perceive about a product, person or situation is usually wildly different from others involved. You may feel your product or service is superior and covers your customers’ needs and yet you may have missed a vital area. When you use critiques as a way to learn about what you don’t know, your Middle Market firm will benefit.
Complaints Can Bring About Positive Change
Any information someone provides you in a complaint is a chance to refine, update or improve. When you view it as such, it takes much of the sting out of hearing you haven’t met someone’s expectations.
If you don’t know exactly how your products, services or company are not meeting someone’s needs, you won’t have any idea how to improve. Instead of viewing complaints as just negativity, start thinking about how you can use them as a suggestion for future growth, refining or new products.
Don’t Just Wait For Complaints, Ask For Them!
You never know when feedback will come your way and you can’t do anything about the problems you aren’t aware of, right? Instead of waiting for customers or employees to bring up issues, proactively ask for their feedback.
You could consider regularly asking for feedback – and use a few methods to get it. You’ve seen the “Don’t Like My Driving” stickers on trucks, maybe your products or packaging could use a similar process. Also, you might consider regularly touching base with key employees, vendors, and customers to ask how your Middle Market company is doing. You could use questionnaires, a phone call or a face to face visit depending on what you hope to find out and how you feel you’ll get the best information.
Listening & Taking Action
It’s great to be able to take criticism with a smile on your face, but it is another thing entirely to hear what you are being told and to figure out how to take action on it.
Try to ask as many questions as you can until you understand the true nature of the complaint and get to the heart of what can be fixed. If you can immediately change something or correct a mistake, do so. If the complaint requires more in-depth steps, keep the person up to date on what the steps will be.
Above all else, thank the person lodging the complaint. Not only was it brave of them to speak up, but you want to show you are appreciative for all feedback and would like to receive it in the future.
When your Middle Market organization embraces complaints instead of dreading them, you’ll have a powerful tool at your disposal.
So what’s in the Mighty Middle Market for me? — get it right now at www.Go4ROI.com.