Oh No! People Are Complaining About My Products And Service!

If you’re a new business, you dread the day you receive your first complaint. And if you’ve been around awhile, you know exactly what I’m talking about.

So, I’m going to focus my comments today on the newbies among us.

The first thing you need to keep in mind is this: You can only please some of the people, some of the time.

And do this: Make sure that you are doing the best you can, producing the best product you can, and providing the best service you can. Make sure you set clear boundaries (business hours, shipping and return policies, etc.) and always be professional.

Then get ready.

Some people will purchase your product, then realize it was not what they were wanting. This does not mean there is anything wrong with your product, it just means that the product didn’t fit with the customer.

Some people will expect services that you don’t offer. For example, a customer might purchase a baby sling from you and expect you to answer their customer support questions within two hours, at 3 a.m. on Sunday.

Other people might find an actual design flaw in your product. This is one area in which some WAHMs get discouraged and give up. My advice: Don’t give up — go back to the drawing board and fix the problem. Come out with a new version of your product. It’s best to do this while you’re company is young. Take the criticism of your customers and find the nugget of constructive advice.

And then there are people who defy categorization: The people who purchase your product, then claim that it never arrived. And instead of contacting you, they immediately file a Paypal dispute. (No lie! We’re discussing this issue at Mom Masterminds right now. It seems the more successful you get, the worse it gets.) Or people who wait until after the 45-day Paypal dispute limit to mention anything to you, and then claim that you didn’t contact them for 45 days.

You will also have people who have pushed your boundaries, or who didn’t find your product usable themselves — and who are very vocal about it.

There are some who say that customer service is everything, that if people say bad things about you it will kill your business, that you must make everyone happy or else.

This is not true. As I said before, you can’t make everyone happy. Focus in on a tight target market, and make sure you follow your policies and procedures. Make sure you provide a high quality product that performs as advertised. And then don’t let it get you down.

Just think about Paypal and Wal-Mart: Two very successful companies, that both have websites dedicated to people discussing how much they … stink.

BTW, if you’re an online product seller, chances are you’re a customer as well. Don’t let one bad review turn you away from a company. Chances are, it could be sour grapes or a misunderstanding that is not the fault of the company. Keep reading at other reviews, talk to people on both sides, and then give the company a chance to have their say. Then make your decision