Receiving Complaints: A Guide for English Language Learners

If you work as a customer service representative in a store, office, or on the telephone, you likely receive a lot of complaints from people everyday. Some are about bad products or service. You may also receive a lot of questions from customers about your business' products or services.

It is very important in your job to stay polite and calm when dealing with an upset customer that is giving you a complaint. You have a difficult job to do, and it is even harder when you may not know the right phrases or words to use when you are faced with a customer's complaint. Here are some ideas that should help you to work with your customers and help them to solve their problems in a calm and efficient manner.

If a customer wants to return a pair of shoes to your store, and he or she does not have the receipt, your conversation might look something like this:

Customer Service Representative (CSR): Hello, how may I help you?

Customer: I bought these shoes yesterday, and by the time I got home with them, they already had a hole!

CSR: I'm sorry to hear that. Can you tell me more about the problem?

Customer: Sure! I put them on when I left the store, and then I walked to the car, drove home, and then I discovered the hole on the bottom of the right shoe. Here it is. Do you see it?

CSR: Yes, sir, I do. That is a big hole. Thank you for bringing the problem to my attention.

Customer: No problem. Now, what are you going to do about it?

CSR: Do you have your receipt?

Customer: No, I don't. I threw it away with the shoebox after I put on the shoes.

CSR: Our policy requires that customers have a receipt when they return their product. Do you remember who the customer service representative was that helped you yesterday? Maybe we can ask him or her for some help.

Customer: Yeah, I do. Her name was Tina.

CSR: Oh, Tina is our manager. Let me discuss the situation with her, and I'll get back with you in just a minute. Please wait here.

Customer: Thank you!

CSR: Tina remembers your purchase from yesterday, and she authorized me to allow you to exchange the shoes. I cannot return your money, but you may choose a new pair of shoes.

Customer: That will work. Thank you very much for your help.

CSR: It was my pleasure.

Some of the key phrases to remember are:

How may I help you?

I'm sorry to hear that.

Can you tell me more about the problem?

Thank you for bringing the problem to my attention.

Let me talk to our manager.

Please wait.

Some other helpful phrases are:

I'll do what I can to help.

I understand you must be very upset.

Is that all of the information about your problem?

Practice using these sentences and phrases when you are working as a customer service representative, and you will find that your customers will thank you for your hard work and helpfulness. Listen to your co-workers to pick up on other ideas of things to say to customers as well. Also, check out the resources listed with this article.