Customer complaints are an important part of your business, especially when running an e-commerce store like Amazon or eBay that deals mostly with products. No matter how great your product or service is, or how effective your customer service might be, customer complaints are inevitable.
Having a customer that brings his or her issue to your attention is a good thing for your business.
Customer complaints or feedback can improve your business and the output of your customer service team in the long run.
Increasing customer satisfaction is one of the fundamental goals of any business organization, and how your customer service team responds to those complaints is what would determine whether you would retain a customer or send him or her out packing.
Therefore, the way you respond to your customer complaints can go a long way in building trust and loyalty between you and your customers.
In this blog post, we will discuss 7 examples of how to respond to customer complaints. First, let’s discuss some important tips.
Basic Tips on How to Respond to Customer Complaints
When responding to a customer complaint, you need to take note of the following.
- Make sure you respond specifically to the issues brought up by the customer.
- Provide a specific apology that acknowledges any mistakes on your end.
- Mention what you will do or you have already done to solve that problem.
- State how you will improve your products or services for the betterment of the customer’s experience in the future.
7 Email Templates to Respond to Customer Complaints: Customer Service Email Response Examples
1. Acknowledging Customer Complaint Email
When your customer lodges a complaint through your communication platforms like emails, social media platforms, etc, it’s important to let them know that you have received their email and you would get back to them with the appropriate response. Also, state when you would be able to get back to them. This is to assure your customers that you care about them and you want them to have the best your organization can offer.
Example of Acknowledging Customer Service Response Template
Dear Sam, Thank you for contacting Queen Industries by email. Note that we take our customer’s satisfaction seriously and we are glad to hear from you. This email is to let you know that we received your message and we will get back to you with a response as soon as possible. Please be advised that our response time can take up to 8 hours due to our large customer base. During working hours we do our best to reply as quickly as possible and on weekends, our response time can take a little bit longer due to our limited staff on weekends. For any questions or further assistance, please reply to this message or call us at +17856778910, or visit queenindustry.com. Kind Regards, Oladimeji Charles. Customer service director.
2. Email Complaint Response to a Customer Who has Delayed an Order
This is one of the most common and frustrating issues that come up now and then in the customer care department of any organization.
A customer may sound angry and disappointed because of a delay in receiving his or her product. Of course, the customer has the right to be disappointed or angry.
The best option is to apologize for any inconvenience and propose a solution to solve the problem. This is also the best time to reassure your customer that you are doing everything in your power to make sure they receive their purchase in good time.
Example of Product Delayed/Not Received Template.
Dear Jason, Thanks for taking the time to notify us at Queen industries about your product not being delivered/ or being delayed. We are so sorry for the inconvenience and we understand how frustrating this might have been for you. However, I have tracked your package via DHL, and it’s currently listed as “out for delivery”. If you’d like to keep track of your package’s status, you can visit this link www.dhltracking syetem.com. As a result of being one of our loyal customers for the past few years we are offering you 50% off your next purchase at queen industry. However, if you fail to receive your package by the due date and time please contact me directly by replying to this message, or you can call me directly at +13412345778. Once again, I sincerely apologize for the inconvenience. Warm Regards, Oladimeji Charles, Customer Service Representative
3. The Customer Received Wrong Product
Imagine you have been anticipating a particular order like the new Sony PS5 and you can’t wait to play it and upon arrival, you open it and discover it is a DVD player.
It can be frustrating and annoying right?
In most cases, the customer might order a refund or the right product they ordered in the first place.
Regardless, you still have to send them an email apologizing and offering them the best solution to their problem
Example of Email Template Addressing a Customer that Received a Wrong Order
The example below assumes that the customer wants the right product they ordered.
Dear Vanessa, Thank you for notifying us at Buy More about the wrong item you received from us. We are sorry for any inconvenience this might have caused you. As I write to you, our logistics department is working on your correct order which should arrive tomorrow evening via DHL with the tracking number 10024 for you to track it. In the meantime, we would like to request that you return the wrong product in the original shipping box using the attached shipping label and instructions within the next 7 days. Once again, I sincerely apologize for the inconvenience. Sincerely, Oladimeji Charles Customer Care director.
4. Responding to Angry Customer Complaints
As a business owner, there are many times you would have to deal with a dissatisfied or an angry customer.
Not everyone would be satisfied with your product or services, so you should expect this as a business owner.
However, the way you respond and deal with the said angry customer matters a lot to your business. It can determine whether you will convert a dissatisfied customer into a loyal one or send them to your competitors.
When dealing with this kind of situation make sure to respect the organization’s policies, ethics, and values.
The template below assumes that a customer is dissatisfied with the product and service experience of the organization
Example of Email Template for Responding to an Angry Customer Complaint
Dear Kyle, Thank you for taking the time to bring to our attention the difficulties you have been experiencing with our product and services We apologize that our services and product have not been up to your expectations and we are sorry for any inconvenience this might have caused you or your business. At Gillard’s farm, customer satisfaction is our top priority, and it is our desire to see that customers are satisfied with our business at all levels and find the best possible way to fix any problem they might encounter. Note that we are working on a solution and would inform you of the methods we have adopted to solve this particular issue and make sure they don’t occur in the future. My deepest apologies for any inconvenience we have caused you. Our goal is to keep you as one of our valued customer and we hope to serve you better. In compensation for this, we would give you a $100 gift card to purchase any of our products. Please let us know if you have any additional questions, concerns, or comments. Sincerely, Oladimeji Charles Customer Service Director
5. Addressing Technical Complaints
You should expect to handle email complaints about technical issues if you work in companies like cable service providers, telecommunication networks, internet T.V like Netflix, etc. In fact, email complaints about technical issues apply to all businesses especially if your business is online and people have to make payments, shop, and buy things from your website or store.
Your customers might experience some technical issues that would demand your engineers to look into.
One common issue in billing – when your customer complains about billing them wrongly or charging more than what they bought from your store.
Billing errors, especially when they involve high currencies can make your customers angry and frustrated and can lead to a lack of trust.
In this kind of situation, it is advisable to be apologetic and offer an immediate solution to the problem. Also, assure them of the steps you would take to prevent this kind of issue from occurring in the future.
Example of an Email Response to a Customer with a Billing Issue
Dear John, Thank you for bringing the billing error to our attention and we sincerely apologize for the inconveniences you might have encountered. Note that we have processed and issued you the amount overcharged during your last purchase. We have also adjusted the recurring billing amount to the original amount you should be billed per your purchase. In addition to this, we would like to compensate you with a discount and a product trial on your next purchase. Once again we apologize for the inconvenience and we look forward to serving you better in the future. Sincerely, Oladimeji Charles Head of Customer Service.
6. Responding to Product Return Email Complaint
In business, especially ecommerce business, there are times that the customer might want to return the items they have purchased.
It could range from an oversize shoe to a computer that does not meet the customers specification.
In this case, the customer wants to send the product back to your company and ask for a refund.
In this situation, you can express your disappointment about how the product didn’t meet their expectations and present them with the options available in regards to this situation. In most cases, this can be whether to refund the money or to exchange it with another item that fits the same price range of the product that was sent to you.
Example of a Product Return Email Template.
Dear Joseph, We are so sorry that our product didn’t meet your expectations. However, we are grateful for your feedback. Your feedback will help us improve our offering. As requested, we have processed the return of the product you purchased from us. Please note that we have attached to this email a shipping label you can print and attach to the said item to enable you to ship it to us free of charge. Repackage the item into the shipping box it came with and attach the shipping label you have printed and take it to the nearest courier center. Once we have received the goods, we would issue you a refund within 7 days. Once again we apologize for any inconvenience caused by this and we look forward to your continued patronage in the future. Sincerely, Jason Teague . Customer service representative Queen Industry.
7. Responding to a Customer Asking About the Price of Your Product/Service
If you own an eCommerce business or any online business like Amazon where people call or email to know more about your product and services, responding to questions about the price of your products or services is inevitable.
In this type of email, you need to give the customer enough information about the product or services they asked for. Make sure you are clear and concise and straight to the point without overwhelming them with unnecessary information they did not ask for.
Example of Email for Responding to a Customer Asking About Your Product or Service
Dear Jane, Thank you for your interest in our “How to build a WordPress-based website “at Sparkconect solutions. We have three individual classes – beginner, intermediate, and professional classes. Depending on your skill level, you need to choose a class to start with. The beginner class costs 30 dollars while the intermediate costs 50 dollars and the professional class costs 100 dollars. However, there is a 50% discount for the first 10 people that register for any of the classes. Also, if you enroll for all the classes you would get a higher discount. Should you require any additional information about the course, please feel free to reach out to us on any of our numbers and social media platforms. Sincerely, Jide Bamidele C.O at Sparkconect Solutions
Customer Complaint 8: Product Defect
Dear [Customer's Name], We are sorry to hear about the issue you encountered with our product. Your satisfaction is of utmost importance to us, and we want to address this matter promptly. Please provide us with the following information (e.g., order number, specific defect) so that we can investigate the issue and find an appropriate solution. We are committed to resolving this matter to your satisfaction. Best regards, [Your Company's Name]
Customer Complaint 9: Late Delivery
Dear [Customer's Name], We apologize for the delay in delivering your order. We understand the importance of timely delivery and sincerely regret any inconvenience caused. Our team is actively investigating the situation to identify the cause of the delay. We will make every effort to expedite the delivery and keep you informed of the updated shipping status. Thank you for your patience and understanding. Best regards, [Your Company's Name]
Conclusion
In conclusion, the way you handle business at the customer service level will determine whether you will retain a dissatisfied customer or lose them completely. After all, your customers are the heart of your business and the way you relate to them will determine the level of your success in that business.
However, with a well-trained customer support staff and meaningful templates, you can give your team a great framework for addressing these complaints in a positive way.
Check Out More Email Templates and Samples of Customer Complaints Reply
