Over the last few years, businesses have had to learn how to deal with supply chain and other logistic issues. And while there have been times where it seemed like the issues would finally be resolved, so many businesses are still trying to deal with the issues that have been dealt to them in their industry and with their vendors or suppliers.
While many of these things are outside of your control, when you have supply chain issues that get passed onto your customers, it’s only natural that you’d get some complaints. So when these complaints start coming in, it’s wise to have a plan for how to deal with them.
To help you in doing this, here are three tips for dealing with supply chain-related customer service complaints.
Don’t Wait For Them To Complain
As a business, you should be aware of issues with your supply chain before those problems get passed onto your customers. So as soon as you become aware of these things, you should be looking to take steps to deal with them.
If you wait until your customers complain to you about not getting something in time or not having products available to them, you’ll be too busy playing defense to really do anything. But if you can use your foresight to take proactive steps to alleviate these problems and then reach out to your customers about what you know and what you’re doing, you may be able to avoid a lot of the complaints that you otherwise would have had.
Be Transparent About What’s Going On
At this point, everyone knows that there are big supply chain issues all over the world. So rather than trying to keep these things under wraps for your business, it’s going to be best to just be transparent with your customers about what’s going on. When you get complaints, share with your customers that you’re aware of what’s going on and are doing everything you can to remedy the situation.
Have Creative Solutions Ready To Go
While there might be very little you can do about some supply chain issues, if you think creatively, there likely are things that you can do to help address the complaints that your customers are coming to you with.
Rather than refunding them, consider how you can help them get what they need in another way. You might need to look into further diversifying your vendors, working with other companies to help them secure some kind of alternative, or just doing better planning ahead on your own part.
If your company has been impacted by supply chain issues over the past few years and you’re still trying to get a handle on things, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you deal with customer complaints regarding these issues.
