How to deal with complaints

***Never correspond with a client via Email. It’s too impersonal. Call them!***

Super important: Be on the offensive (you lead the conversation) as opposed to the offensive (when the client is directing where the conversation goes). The only time I really give the client room to speak is at the very beginning of the complaint explanation and when I want them to talk. This is because: If you give a client too much room to talk and take control of the conversation, they will lead you right to the path of a discount or a free cleaning.  When you take control of the conversation, you can steer them clear of any money talk, and go straight for fixing the issue.

When a complaint call first comes in:

(If it comes in via email, glance at the email, pick up the phone to call them.)

1.  Listen

2.  Take notes

3.  Ask A LOT of questions-make notes. If a complaint came through via email, skim the email, pick up the phone and call the client, and say, “Hi Jane, I saw your email and it looks like things didn’t go so well with the cleaning. What’s going on?” (Even if they detailed everything in writing, you want to get them to talk. The more they talk, the more the emotion goes away which leads them to a place where they can be reasoned with. Emotional people lose their sense of logic.)

4.  Do not head straight to an apologize at first. Go on a fact finding mission before anything else. You can say things like, “Oh boy, Oh no, ugh, oh dear” as they tell you everything that went wrong in the cleaning.  I sometimes find it helpful to get their mind away from the current cleaning (assuming it’s a recurring) by taking them to past cleanings. For example: “Quick question, Susie, had you noticed this issue in the past or it is isolated to these last two cleanings?” Ask as many questions as possible.

Once you have gathered all of the information, depending on the severity, and what they say during your fact finding mission that will direct where YOU WILL TAKE the conversation.  That is key right there:  You need to be in charge of the conversation, not them. The second you give them charge of the conversation, they are making the demands, including money back.  If you guide and direct the conversation, you can take it to a place where there is no room for a refund/money back.

Here are a few things we say that will help you take charge of the conversation and, get your foot in the door.  Here are the top scripts that we use:

1.  “Here’s what we need to do:  First of all, thank you for bringing this to my attention.  This is obvious not ok with us.  We’ll need to go ahead and go back into the home to do some touch up cleaning. What I will do is not only re-clean the areas that you have listed for me (I’m so sorry about that, btw, I don’t think I ever apologized to you about all this), but what I’ll do for you is to not only have them re-clean the areas that they missed, but I’ll also have the crew start at the back of the house using a fine toothed comb and scrutinize every aspect of the cleaning to be sure nothing else was missed.”  Incorporate T-I-T: Thank you, I’m sorry, thank you.

2.  “So, we have a rule that we call the 3 biggy rule.  Here’s how it works. If the team missed 3 big areas, which obviously they’ve done, I’ll guarantee you that if I go looking, I’m going to find other things that they missed that you aren’t even yet seeing.  Here’s what we need to do:  We’ll need to go ahead and go back into the home to do some touch up cleaning. What we will do is not only re-clean the areas that you have listed for me (I’m so sorry about that, btw, I don’t think I ever apologized to you about all this), but what I’ll do for you is to not only have them re-clean the areas that they missed, but I’ll also have the crew start at the back of the house using a fine toothed comb and scrutinize every aspect of the cleaning to be sure nothing else was missed.”  Incorporate T-I-T:Thank you, I’m sorry, thank you.

3.  “Oh no. Alright, first of all, I am so sorry that you are having to deal with this. I have both good and bad news for you. Which do you want to hear first?  Good news: This is all total fixable. I hate that you are having to deal with this and I wish we could have done a perfect job for you the first time as per our standard, but this is fixable and we will take care of it.  The bad news is: I guarantee you that if they missed these big obvious areas, I guarantee you that if we were to go looking, we will find more. And I hate that for you. So, What I will do is not only reclean the areas that you have listed for me (I’m so sorry about that, btw, I don’t think I ever apologized to you about all this), but what I’ll do for you is to not only have them re-clean the areas that they missed, but I’ll also have the crew start at the back of the house using a fine toothed comb and scrutinize every aspect of the cleaning to be sure nothing else was missed.”  Incorporate T-I-T:Thank you, I’m sorry, thank you.

4.  “Gosh, I am frustrated and embarrassed on your behalf. Thankfully, we do have a few options:…list at least 3 options.

Options for us:

a. Full reclean

b. Touch up areas missed, comb the home to be sure other areas weren’t missed or look for other areas that have been neglected.

c. Free Spring (TTB) clean upgrade on the next visit.

d. Free inside of oven or refrigerator on next visit.

e. Credit toward a future clean (this is nice because truthfully, ppl rarely use it)

f.  For vacant home situations, new home owners could call us and book a reclean before they move in.

Random tips

1.  Tell a story. Anything!!  I always tell of a client that we’ve had for 8 years. We bombed his first time clean, he gave us one more chance, and to date, he’s never had to complain.

2.  Tell a story about an experience from your personal life. For example, I say, “I manage people all day long. When I go out to eat on a Friday night, the last thing I want to do is worry that my kids don’t have ketchup for their French fries or need a refill. I paid for a service and I shouldn’t have to worry about if it’s getting done. I have the right to expect that it will be done without second thought. You paid us, you have the right to expect that same from us.”

2.  Never say “I understand” or “sorry for the inconvenience.” Those are rude, meaningless, and dismissive words.  Instead, show them “you understand” by naming their feelings. For example: How frustrating. I am so sorry that you counted on us to clean before your company arrived and you walk in expecting to be overjoyed by an outstanding job and instead, we caused you to feel stressed and angry. I would feel the same way!

3.  Phrases that work: You met your end of the bargain by paying what we asked, now we need to meet our end of the bargain by cleaning to all areas on the checklist, so please don’t apologize. We’re in the wrong and it’s our job to fix it.

4.  Phrases that work: We’re at your mercy as to when you would like for us to return. You tell me when it’s the most convenient for you.  (This gets them thinking about a good reschedule time)

5.  Your tone! Always drop your tone and volume of your voice when you say, “I am so sorry”.

6.  Phrase that works: We would absolutely love to do that for you.

7.  Phrases that work: There are over 1,000s of cleaning company options in the Alameda County area alone. If we cannot do the type of job you want, we deserve to get fired and another company deserves your business. So at the end of the day, we can either do it or we can’t. But it shouldn’t be a hassle. So I will do everything on my end to be sure that everything is satisfactory going forward.<