Often companies fall into the error of dealing with claims as negative aspects to which to respond. They forget that it is a means of listening to the voice of our customers that they indicate that there is an element, product and / or service or management that does not meet their needs and expectations and give us the opportunity to correct and improve it.
In this way, they become powerful improvement tools that, if properly managed, can bring great benefits to the company.
In this article I will talk about the key to adequately address a claim, as well as the UNE-ISO 10002 Standard, an effective guide focused on customer satisfaction.
Claims beyond a negative element.
Traditionally we take the word claim as a negative element and in this way we face it from a defensive position that prevents us from perceiving what can be used to improve.
That is to say, we lose the essence of the complaint, we focus on the negative part and forget that it is the voice of the client expressing an element that does not convince him at all, does not cover his needs or does not meet his expectations, which at the same time Gives us the opportunity to improve, change it and thus earn us your fidelity.
In addition, in many occasions it gives us information about elements that are very difficult to perceive in other ways, such as low accessibility, a lack of resolve on the part of the staff dealing with the client, insufficient or unclear information, to give a few examples.
The UNE-ISO 10002 standard itself indicates that a complaint is an “expression of dissatisfaction with an organization, with respect to its products or to the complaint handling process itself, where an explicit or implicit response or resolution is expected.”
That is, as indicated before, is an opportunity that gives us the customer and as such we do not have to waste it. On the other hand, not having any claim is also not a symptom that we have no element to improve, but may be the consequence that the client has perceived that there is a failure but considers that it will not affect in any way that indicates On a claim and choose to rely on competition without even giving a second chance to improve.
In this way, we have to promote the claims when the client detects a failure, not have them fear and manage them effectively. The latter, a true art with a very simple key.
Key to the management of claims.
The key to managing them effectively and turning that unsatisfied customer into a brand evangelizer is very simple, it’s really just a change of perception: treating every claim as a nonconformity detected by the customer.
In this way, following the steps of treating a nonconformity of a management system we stop seeing it as an attack to observe it as an opportunity for improvement, supposes a feedback that gives us the voice of the client and indicates our weak points that there are Which reinforces, it gives us the expectations and needs of the customers in relation to the company and the product and / or service it offers, we do not look for guilty but solutions, etc.
In addition, it represents an opportunity of unparalleled value to increase the confidence of the customers and to place ourselves above other companies of the competition.
Finally, we can not forget that it is also a unique opportunity to reinforce sensitivity, courtesy and empathy in all dealings with the customer as they are a great weight for the quality of the product and / or final service perceived by the client.
The claims and the Standard UNE-ISO 10002.
For those who do not know, the Standard UNE-ISO 10002, “Quality Management. Customer satisfaction. Guidelines for the Treatment of Complaints in Organizations, “as its title indicates, is defined as a guide to deal effectively with claims related to products and / or services, customer treatment, etc., leaving out legal disputes or conflicts labor
A) In this way, “it deals with the following aspects of the handling of complaints:
B) Increase customer satisfaction by creating a customer-focused environment
C) The active participation and commitment of senior management through the adequate provision and provision of resources, including personal training,
D) Recognizes and addresses the needs and expectations of the complainants,
(E) Provide the complainants with an open, effective and user-friendly complaint handling process,
F) Analyzes and evaluates the complaints regarding the improvement of the product and the quality of the customer service,
G) Audit the process of handling complaints,
H) Review the effectiveness and efficiency of the complaint handling process. ”
It becomes a key tool to exploit the full potential of claims and convert dissatisfied customers into brand evangelizers thanks to the proper management of complaints received, as well as making them elements of improvement that have a positive impact on the future of the company .