Greenslade: Get the Facts From Complaining Customers

Jason Sandefur

All companies receive complaints from customers, according to fastener industry expert and author Joe Greenslade. It�s how companies handle those complaints that determines their future success.
Greenslade spoke at the Southwestern Fastener Association fall conference in Santa Fe.
Greenslade said most companies know how to look good when they�re making proposals, quoting prices and taking orders. But customers learn what your company is really like based on how you handle their complaints.
The first rule of complaints is to remain calm, he advised, even if you have an irate customer on the phone.
Many fastener companies panic before they even know what the problem is, Greenslade contended. And that�s a big mistake.
�You just want to get off the phone when they�re going nuts, but you can�t do that. You will not solve the problem without specific facts.�
Instead of reacting defensively or suggesting solutions, Greenslade recommended listening carefully to the complaint and writing everything down, getting as many specific facts about the problem as possible (part number, exact failure, change in assembly process, etc.) If you don�t have specifics, you won�t understand the problem enough to effectively investigate the complaint.
Greenslade�s advice? Don�t settle for vague complaints like �these parts are junk,� or �these parts just don�t work.� There is no information there to work with.
After getting all the facts you can, stop talking, he advised. Assure the customer that the complaint will be promptly addressed, then hang up and research the problem before responding.
�Don�t start promising anything until you have a chance to check your own facts,� he remarked.
A frequent mistake companies make is automatically shipping new parts before figuring out why a screw snapped or nut malfunctioned.
�Ninety-nine times out of a hundred, shipping new parts is not the solution.�
Case in point: Greenslade said that back during his days as a supplier a customer complained about the recess of a screw being too loose. He examined the specs on the screw, measured the recess, and tested it at his factory. Everything checked out. Still the customer continued to claim the recess was too loose. At an impasse, Greenslade flew to the customer�s site to see if he could figure out what he called the �real problem.�
After a routine inspection, Greenslade discovered that the customer was using a #2 Phillips bit to drive 1/4-inch machine screws that had a #3 Phillips recess.
He said continuing to ship new screws would have never solved the problem, and likely would have cost him the account. If he had let the customer get away with saying the screws were �bad,� he�d have never known to check the size of the drill bit.
On-site inspections are often necessary to fully understand the problem, he emphasized. �Sometimes you�ve got to see the problem with your own eyes or you�ll end up chasing your tail and getting nowhere.�
Often, a part�s failure may have little to do with its quality.
�In over 30 years in the business, I�m here to tell you that over 75% of complaints about quality are crap,� Greenslade asserted. Most of the time a part may fail for reasons other than quality. Often it could be the wrong part for the application. He concluded that customers rarely lie about the problem, but frequently their details are misleading, incomplete or simply wrong.
If you discover that the part was at fault, Greenslade urged a rapid resolution, keeping the customer informed every step of the way.
�They love you for it if you don�t give them a hassle when it�s a real complaint. Even if it�s painful, take the lumps and go on.�
Unresolved complaints can lead to litigation, most likely when serious property damage or injury occur. And lawsuits are costly for everyone, he said. He strongly recommends resolving an issue before it reaches the courts.
�If it takes weeks to resolve, that problem gets bigger and bigger.�\ �2002 FastenerNews.com