How To Deal With Customer Complaints As A Freelance Writer

February 22, 2012

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been spending a lot of time working around the topic of consumer complaints. Although it might not seem like the most interesting of subjects on the surface, the truth is complaint management — particularly within large organizations and those regulated by the Financial Services Authority (FSA) in the UK — is huge business.

I’ve been fortunate enough in my career as a freelance writer to date to have not had any major complaints. Like many, I’ve had the odd niggling comment from a client, but no full blown complaint about an awful piece of writing I’ve delivered.

However, this doesn’t mean I haven’t got processes in place to deal with customer complaints should they come in and the past few weeks I’ve realised just how important it is to have such processes in place.

These processes aren’t robust or in-depth by any means when compared to a large, global organization’s, but they give me peace of mind knowing that should I receive a complaint, I have a step-by-step guide that I can follow to ensure I deal with the complaint in the best way possible.

As everyone’s way of dealing with complaints will be different and individual to them, I don’t want to explain exactly what I do, but instead provide you with a basis upon which you can build your own process for handling complaints.

1. Record the complaint

Easy to do but so often forgotten or ignored, physically recording the complaint is possibly the most important aspect of complaint management, as it allows you to move forward in the best way possible, as well as reflect and analyse at a later date.

For example, if I were to receive a complaint, to begin with I would record the date and time the complaint was made, who made it and what the complaint was in connection with. As the complaint went on, I would record all correspondence in a similar fashion, until there was a suitable outcome, which would also be recorded.

Without recording this information, everything would be in my head, meaning I’d have to rely on my own memory for everything from when the complaint was made to when the solution was provided.

Plus, if you have this information recorded and you receive a lot of complaints — or even feedback — it gives you a database of intelligence that can be utilized to develop your freelance writing business.

2. Stay in contact with the client

One of my pet hates in life is not being kept updated. Whether it’s about a piece of work I’m waiting on from another writer or a waiting time for a table in a restaurant, it doesn’t take long to get in touch and give a quick update.

And as difficult as it can be talking to customers who have complained, you should also follow this same principle of contacting them regularly, as some contact with no change is better than no contact at all.

3. Act swiftly

If a client has complained and you’re wanting to keep them on-side — or at least stop them from spreading bad press about you — time is of the essence.

I’m not saying you should stop all work and focus solely on resolving the complaint, as that’s likely to do nothing but cause upset amongst your other clients, but try and refrain from falling into the ‘I’ll do it tomorrow’ trap.

Staying up late one night isn’t likely to do you a lot of damage personally, but it could help tremendously if it means your client gets a solution to their complaint earlier than expected.

For me, that sums up how you should handle a complaint from your client and is basically how I would handle it personally. Take the time to listen to your client, recording every detail; stay in touch with them right throughout the time you’re dealing with their complaint and do your utmost to act as quickly as possible — the end result might not be a solution you or the client like, but at the very minimum it will put your mind at ease that the complaint has been dealt with in the best way possible.