The Complainer Customer
The Complainer Customer
What sort of behaviours will they display?
Complaining about everything, may become angry if their complaints are not listened to.
How can we manage the complainer customer?
The complainer comes in two types: the customer that just complains and the one that makes a complaint. Either way the main issue with this behaviour is that it is going to cause you stress. Remember that this isn’t personal and that it isn’t possible to please everyone all the time. Don’t be intimidated by the customer saying they will give negative online reviews; your pharmacy will be able to respond to these and give their side of the story too.
Stay calm and actively listen to what they have to say. Like the angry customer they may just wish to be listened to. You could show that you have been listening by summarising their complaint(s) back to them when they have finished speaking. Give an empathetic response and remember to use positive body language.
What you do next depends on the nature of the complaint. If the customer has made a formal complaint, then you should follow your pharmacy’s complaint procedure. If the complaint is regarding an error in medication this should be brought to the attention of the pharmacist immediately.
You can find SOPs for dealing with formal complaints and a sample complaint interview form on the NumarkNet website.
Sample complaint interview form
Important point: you don’t decide what is and isn’t a valid complaint, this is about the customer. Instead sort the issues into things within your control (things your pharmacy could do something about) and things outside of your control (things your pharmacy can’t do something about). This will make it easier for you to respond to the customer in an appropriate way.
Complaints inside your control are an opportunity to resolve something for the pharmacy so you should do what you can to address them. Communicate with the customer what your actions will be and how their experience will be better next time.
Some of their complaints may be beyond your control. Try not to be dismissive of these and continue to be empathetic. Explain to the customer that you are not be able to do anything about their issue. Make sure you don’t promise to do something you don’t intend to do e.g. I’ll pass your comment to our head office.