When you have a bad experience with a company – whether it be your mobile network provider or a high street retailer – it’s important to make your voice heard to address your own gripe and prevent others from falling into the same situation.
Making a complaint by phone is undoubtedly an unpleasant task, but this is usually the quickest and most effective way to resolve your issue. So if you’re thinking of calling the complaints number of the business in question, have a read of this before picking up the phone.
Do Your Groundwork
Don’t just call up the customer service line in the heat of the moment, wait until you’ve had a chance to compile your evidence and get your story straight. What was the date when the incident occurred, did you note down the name of people you dealt with, and do you have any relevant documents? Make sure you’re clear on exactly what your problem is and what you want the complaints advisor to do about it; you’re much more likely to be satisfied with the outcome of your complaint.
Are you one of those people who often puts down the phone and suddenly remembers a list of things that you should have said? Write a list of bullet points so that you don’t forget to mention them during the call.
Timing Your Call
Whilst you’ll inevitably want to get this dreaded task out of the way as quickly as possible, time your call right if you want to make it worth your while. In other words, not on your way to work, not when you have only 10 minutes to spare, and not in a busy environment. If possible, find out the opening times of the complaints line for the company in question and call at a time when you’ll be able to talk uninterrupted with the advisor to resolve your problem.
Speaking to An Advisor
The most important thing to bear in mind during your call is not to take it out on the advisor. Of course you’re going to be annoyed, and that’s ok, but throwing abuse or raising your voice at the person on the other end of the phone isn’t going to make your case any stronger – quite the opposite in fact.
Keep your cool and if you really aren’t getting anywhere, ask to speak to a manager. The manager will have more power to really address your problem than the script-reading advisor who will be under strict instructions.
If you’re going to make a complaint, you might as well do it properly. By following this simple guide to complaining over the phone you’ll be prepared for any questions or outcomes that arise during the call, and be in a strong position to argue your case. You might not always get the problem put right, but you’ll have a much higher chance of resolving your issue in your favour if you are polite, prepared and patient.
This article is written by Kelly Gilmour Grassam, a freelance copywriter from Yorkshire. You can follow her on Twitter at @KellygGrassam. This article has been written with helpful information from Every Contact Number