Have you ever sent questions to a company you wanted to buy from, but only got half of them answered? And, the ones the company was so gracious to answer were only HALF ANSWERED themselves? If so, you probably did what most consumers would do in that situation:

Take your business ELSEWHERE.

Prevention is the first true step to stopping customer complaints BEFORE they start.

Here are three quick tips for doing just that:

1. Answer all questions thoroughly and enthusiastically.

When someone asks questions about your product or service, they're expressing a STRONG interest in buying what you have to offer. Don't force their spending dollars elsewhere by sending incomplete answers or taking days to respond to their e-mail.

And when you do write back, don't make your prospects feel like the response was a chore, or that they're stupid. After all, if they knew everything you know, they wouldn't need to buy your product!

Feel HONORED to explain the answers to their questions, and make sure they understand.

TIP: 68% of customers don't follow through on the sale because of a perceived *ATTITUDE OR INDIFFERENCE* toward them by the owner, manager, or an employee of the company! [Source: Customer Service Institute, Silver Spring, MD]

So remember, these people are CHOOSING to do business with you. Respect their decision, and honor them for it.

2. Take measures to guard against preventable disasters.

This one speaks for itself. Things like sticking to established policies comes to mind. An online contract is mutually agreed upon by both the provider and the consumer. Don't jeopardize client relationships by going against contract terms, and don't try to invent conditions later on down the line.

If there isn't a written or verbal agreement on something, it's not enforceable.

Not only can this type of practice lead to a fat lawsuit, it's just plain unethical. Fewer surprises equals happier customers.

3. In the event of an unexpected disaster, keep your customers informed!

If you run a web hosting company that's experiencing downtime, don't wait until your clients *find out* that their sites have been down for a week. Let the customer know what's happening WITHOUT making THEM contact YOU to find out.

Not only will your customers appreciate you taking the time to keep them informed, but your technical support department won't be bogged down with heated calls and e-mails from disgruntled clients demanding to know what's going on.

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TIP: Although you can take precautions to try to prevent customer complaints, some will be unavoidable. But "unavoidable" doesn't mean "incurable". Take THESE three steps below to turn more of your disgruntled customers into happy, referral-giving clientele. :-)

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1. Find a mutually agreed upon way to resolve all complaint fairly, then stick to your word.

In most cases of dissatisfaction, your customer will ask for a refund ... but don't make the COMMON MISTAKE of thinking that refunding their money is the end of the problem!

If you do, the customer won't be leaving with any more than they started, except for a disappointing experience with your company ... and that's NOT what you want. Instead, you can correct the situation with a refund AND offer them something else valuable for their time and trouble.

For example, I used to run a website design service in which I'd design a client's site to their specifications, also setting them up with a product to sell and the ability to accept online payment. The estimated completion time (without the advantage of express service) was 2-4 weeks.

The only refund request I'd ever gotten on that service came from a client that was upset that the two week deadline was fast approaching, and I hadn't begun to start on her site.

The client that I was working with prior to her kept introducing new changes and requirements to HER package, which meant more work for me AND a longer waiting period for this new client. So when it didn't look like I'd be able to start and finish her website before the two week time estimate, she understandably requested a refund.

As it wasn't my new client's fault that her site wouldn't be completed as estimated (and I felt really bad about how things had turned out anyway), I honored her refund request immediately, AND offered to set up her five page website for free, just as originally planned.

Was she satisfied with that?

You bet!

And, did I prevent a dissatisfied customer?

Definitely!

Although you probably won't be able to (or want to) handle every complaint to that extreme, these are things the kinds of things you can (and should) do to keep your customers happy.

2. Follow up with unhappy customers, to be sure that their needs were properly met.

After you win dissatisfied customers over, check back with them in a few weeks. This doesn't have to be anything more than a quick e-mail to see if they need anything else, and to see if whatever you offered them has helped.

Not only will this show that you sincerely care about your customers' satisfaction, it also shows that the "I'm sorry gift" you gave them was a genuine attempt to make them happy. This can also get you a lot of word-of-mouth referrals.

3. Treat them as your most highly valued customer(s).

Winning a customer over after they've already decided not to do business with you again is no small feat. So if you're able to change their mind about it, they deserve extra special treatment.

Offer them VIP coupons on future purchases, and continue to value their patronage as if it were their very first time shopping with you. I guarantee you -- your courtesy will go a long way.

In Summary...

Make sure your customers' experiences with you are excellent both before AND after the sale, and offer as much personal attention as you can. If you can effectively resolve customer complaints, rebuild credibility with follow up letters and calls, and make your customers feel valued and important, you'll never be short of business OR profit.