You Didn't Clean That!- Dealing with Cleaning Customer Complaints

Regardless of how detailed and meticulous you feel you are, you're still going to get cleaning customer complaints. Even the most even-tempered business owners can respond with panic, anger, or anxiety. The trick is to override your initial feelings and realize that you're here to help solve the problem for the customer in a calm and professional manner. And to do it quickly and efficiently.

Now the truth is, some complaints are valid and some – not so much. The best way to handle a complaint is;

1. don't take the complaint personally
2. address the problem immediately
3. respond with a fix and follow up to ensure satisfaction

Customers tend to forget the reason why they complained but will always remember how you and/or your staff responded (or failed) when handling the complaint. It's up to you to turn that complaint into a satisfied customer by providing outstanding customer service.

Handling Complaints Correctly Can Turn Irritated Customers Into Life Long Customers!

Dealing with cleaning customer complaints

A big piece of the customer relations pie is managing customer complaints, especially when they say you didn't do something and you know darn well you did. Even though you may be one hundred percent sure you are right, never call out a customer and tell them they are wrong. And let's face the facts; we may think we didn't or couldn't possibly have missed something, when in fact we did.

When you pour your heart and soul into your cleaning business, it is hard to accept the fact that one of our customers complained. Don't take it to heart. Rather, take that complaint and turn it around. Remember the quote; “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade”?  When handled properly, complaints can become a valuable learning tool for your business and you can turn dissatisfied customers into lifelong and loyal customers.

This is a response from cleaning business owner Debra B. on what she did when confronted with a customer complaint:

“Last Thursday I did a move-in clean for a former customer. She called me the following morning with a few minor complaints. I went over within the hour and she showed me what her concerns were. I wrote them down as she was showing me. I went back over to the home the next morning at 7 am (it was Saturday). I cleaned what she was concerned with, and from this, she decided she wanted on- going service and hired me to do her on-going cleaning. I of course was very apologetic about the missed items”.

As a cleaning business owner, don't be afraid to grab the bull by the horns and handle the complaint with that “hands on” mentality. Many customers will be surprised that the owner herself took their time to fix the problem in person.

Look, we understand that as a business owner, you are not always available to handle all complaints in person. That is why it is so imperative that you train and provide the skills necessary for your staff to handle complaints and resolve issues as soon as possible.

Here are 9 suggestions to help you and your staff handle customer complaints:

1. Have them show you.  
Do what Debra B. did. Meet with the customer right away and have them show you exactly what they're talking about. Have them point out the troubled area, acknowledge what they're seeing, clean it in front of them if possible and say something like, "I'm sorry, I can't believe I missed that, I will take care of it!"

2. Cleaning is a perception.
What may be clean to you may not be clean to the customer. Clarify what clean means to them. If they want their white baseboards cleaned but you discover that no amount of cleaning or chemicals will get them “new white” again, then be proactive and show them. Otherwise, they might come back and ask why you never cleaned them when you know you did.

3. Is miscommunication the problem?
What exactly do they want? The best way to make sure you're not mis-communicating with the customer is to talk to the customer directly. As we all know, things can get misconstrued as they are passed along communication lines. Your plan to fix the complaint may not necessarily be what the customer wants or needs. Pick up the phone and ask them.

4. Are there other underlying problems?
When a customer has a complaint, there may be other underlying issues that they have not brought to your attention, feeling they don't want to come across as a constant complainer. By asking if there are any other concerns that you can help them with, they may just provide you with useful insight in another issue, and if not, they will appreciate the fact that you asked.

5. Do you have a checklist? Do what you said you would do!
Create a checklist of tasks you perform in the home. Check off everything you did that day. If you have cleaning technicians doing the cleaning, provide a work order and have them leave it for the customer. Homeowners like to know that the tasks you said you would do when they hired you are actually being done. You can also leave a communication log behind as a communication tool between you and your customer.

6. It's best to act now!
Be proactive and nip a possible complaint in the bud before it becomes an issue. If you know you are going to have cleaning staff scheduling issues because of a sickness, vacation, family issues, weather, car trouble, or whatever, don't let your problem turn into a customer problem. Call them right away and explain why you may have to re-schedule their cleaning. It's better to act now, then short hand your cleaning staff, which may in turn cause them to rush through a cleaning.

7. Be accountable and don't play the blame game.
Something will be missed, something will not be cleaned correctly, and something will go wrong. It's the nature of the cleaning business. When a customer calls with a complaint, the last thing they want to hear is excuses. Instead, be apologetic, be accountable, take responsibility, and tell them when they can expect the problem resolved.

8. Make it up to them!
OK, so you or your staff screwed up. The customer complained and you resolved the issue. Is that the end? Not necessarily. Although most complaints can end with a simple “please accept our apology for your inconvenience” some complaints may require a bit more “love” on your part. Perhaps a free cleaning, gift card or apology letter is in order. Simple yet effective, these small tokens show customers just how important they are to you and your cleaning business.

9. Documentation and confirmation is good medicine!
Document the complaint first in a customer complaint log, and then follow up with the customer. Whenever a customer makes a complaint, the complaint should be documented as well as the actions that were taken to resolve the complaint. There should be room on the form to indicate not only the specific problem, but what actions were taken to resolve the problem and if the issue was resolved satisfactorily. Then call and/or send out a customer service complaint letter that can also include discount coupons.

Be proactive and reduce complaints before they rear their ugly head. There are things cleaning business owners can do to keep customer complaints in check. Besides supplying your cleaning technicians with a checklist to assure all cleaning duties are completed, regularly scheduled home inspections and customer surveys, and even customer exit surveys can provide you with valuable insight into just how good or bad your cleaning company is performing.  Any type of additional communication will help clear the way to a better working relationship.

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