If you handle a customer complaint badly, this can lead to that customer telling their friends how terrible the services was — or perhaps even posting a negative review online. However, if something goes wrong but you manage to sort it out, they are even more likely to write a good review than if they'd simply had a good experience in the first place.

Apologize

Firstly, apologize for the inconvenience caused to the customer. You may also need to apologize for members of staff, bad communication or mistakes made during the buying process too.

Don't just offer a token 'sorry', though, as customers will see right through this.

Empathize

Whatever the customer has been through, empathize with them. You know how frustrating it is to not know what's going on and you understand exactly what they are going through. This goes with the above point and goes a long way to showing how sorry you are.

This will create a bond between you and the customer.

Be positive

Don't be negative, instead let the customer know that you will get things sorted out. Focus on what you can do for the customer rather than what you can't.

Communicate regularly

While sorting out any problems that have arisen, keep in constant contact with the customer. There's nothing more annoying than complaining about something then never hearing back from the company involved. Let the customer know how you're going to resolve the problem and let them know how that progresses at every stage.

Own the problem

If the complaint was up scaled to you by a member of staff, don't hand it back over to them once you've made a decision. Take it upon yourself to follow through with the complaint and create a bond between you and the customer in question.

Follow-up

Even once the complaint is resolved, follow up with the customer to check they have everything they need and that they are happy. This final touch with remind them what a great service you provide even when things don't go quite to plan.

It's also a good chance to let them know what you're going to do to avoid similar complaints in the future. If you can reassure them that this won't happen again, they might still recommend you to family and friends.