How To Handle Customer Complaints In Dropshipping Business

Here it comes: your buyer is unhappy with the purchase.

How should you handle customer complaints in this case? What action do you need to take? Let’s see what to do to never hurt your dropshipping business reputation!

Dropshipping is a great business model that lets almost everyone make money with minimum effort and investment. But, as you’re dealing with people on a daily basis, the human factor is the thing that can influence your venture heavily. More specifically, you can’t know how every single order from your online store is going to play out.

People are different. And their reactions to the same things vary. While some of your clients stay patient and calm when facing some problems, the other ones make a mountain out of a molehill.

The point is, no matter how well your business process is organized, you’re going to deal with annoyed clients.

Therefore, if you can’t handle customer complaints properly, the most irritable of your clients may easily take their anger elsewhere. Nowadays, your reputation precedes you. Plenty of various public forums and special websites allow people to leave their comments and reviews about services and businesses. So, nothing can be hidden. And your clients’ emotions will find the outlet right there.

If you don’t want negative feedback to ruin your dropshipping business, you should be prepared to keep the situation under control. It’s not always an easy task, especially if you receive a message like the one we once got in our self-managed dropshipping store inbox.

Seems a bit offensive, doesn’t it?

Even though some customers are subsequently sorry for their behavior, it might be a bit confusing to find the suitable words to reply to them at the moment.

But, keep calm!

We’re going to list some guidelines for you. So, you’ll be able to cope with any sort of customer complaints to keep your dropshipping business safe and sound.

1. Don’t give in to your emotions while handling customer complaints

All of us could do and say wrong things when we’re in the heat of the moment, right?

Customer messages like the one we’ve mentioned above can definitely knock you off balance. And it might be tempting to fight back and respond in a similar language. But, doing this to an already furious customer is not the best idea. You need to hold back from this.

They’ve reached the boiling point. And you should calm them down. Your emotional response only adds fuel to the flame. So, if you let your feelings win out, you won’t be able to retrieve the situation.

Get a grip on yourself even if these customer complaints are insulting you personally.

2. Don’t say they’re wrong

You must have heard the saying that the customer is always right.

Well…Not always.

Yet, even if the fact that customers are wrong is evident, don’t dig your heels in. Don’t put the blame on them in explicit way. It’s the last thing they want to hear.

3. Be polite with your clients

Being polite and well-mannered is your best strategy to handle customer complaints.

Even the most belligerent clients try to keep their temper when they’re treated with respect and kindness.

So, make your angry clients aware that you’re grateful for letting you know about a problem. Make them understand that you’re ready to listen to their every question. And don’t forget to apologise for the inconvenience.

Use phrases like:

• Thank you for contacting us
• Kindly let us know if you have any questions or if there’s any way we can help you
• Sorry for the temporary inconvenience
• Etc.

These seemingly insignificant words will show your clients that you care. And this is the exact thing they expect to face.

4. Don’t argue with customers

The thing you should work towards while handling complaints is to make customer suspicion wear off.

Many buyers are afraid of being scammed when shopping online. You need to convince them that you’re on their side and the problem is just a misunderstanding.

If you start splitting hairs and denying your fault, you’ll strengthen your clients’ concerns. Instead of arguing, admit the problem exists and promise to get to the bottom of it even if your customers are obviously wrong.

This way, you calm them down. This, in turn, will allow you to ask some additional questions to identify the real  reason of the issue in question.

5. Offer a solution to customer complaints

The most essential part of handling customer complaints is definitely offering a solution.

You may be wondering how you can find a solution if your clients are wrong in their claims.

Well.

To begin with, help them understand that there is no actual mistake on your side. Explain what has actually happened, and make it clear that the problem isn’t as devastating as the client might feel.

Let’s say, your clients are furious about their package getting stuck somewhere for a long time. But, in fact, it’s not exactly stuck: the logistic company just hasn’t updated the tracking information yet.

So, in this situation, you can point out to your clients that logistic companies don’t always update the info in the real-time mode. That being said, there is nothing to worry about: the package is actually being transferred – its movements just aren’t reflected immediately. Show them the shipping company’s policy on the frequency of tracking updates, and suggest checking the tracking code once again a bit later. This will clarify the situation and make your customers feel more relaxed about the order’s fate.

6. Make it up to them

The person who never makes a mistake will never make anything.

Besides unsound customer complaints, there could be real slip-ups on your part. We’re all human, aren’t we? We tend to make mistakes.

Fortunately, we can fix the majority of them.

Of course, if it’s evident that an item your client has received is damaged, you’d better make a refund.

Yet, if you’ve mixed up colors and sent, let’s say, a white t-shirt instead of a black one, you can try and persuade the customer to keep it.

But, both of the mentioned situations require some special measures to be taken. If you don’t want your customers to have a negative shopping experience, you need to offer them some bonuses along with your sincere apology.

It may be some free item from your shop or a discount coupon on future purchases. Anyway, it’s going to stop them from spreading negative comments about your dropshipping business on the Internet.

Great customer service is an essential part of a successful dropshipping venture. If you know how to handle customer complaints, you are one step closer to your financial independence goal. So, use the tips we’ve listed for you to avoid the problems on your way to live out your dreams!