What You Can Learn From the Corporate Complaint Department
One Christmas I received a shirt of such a hideously vehement shade of PINK that I could only run - not walk - to the nearest branch of the department store that had the effrontery to sell the thing to my hapless (and apparently color-challenged) gift-giver. As I stood in line at the complaint desk, waiting alongside others who'd stumbled upon equally dubious items lurking under their tinsel-laden trees, I couldn't help but wonder. Yes, of course I wondered why in the world someone would see that shade of flaming fuchsia and think of me. But that aside, I wondered what the department store powers-that-be would learn at the end of the day as they surveyed the ton or so of returned holiday horrors filling the shelves of their complaint departments.
Have you considered what treasures complaints can yield? Whether they come with actual returned merchandise or arrive in the form of e-mails, letters, phone calls, flaming arrows or some other communication, complaints can provide organizational leaders with invaluable - and usually freely given - advice that can help immensely when it comes to crafting new strategy or adjusting existing tactics.
Perhaps you've recently switched vendors and a key component of one of your product lines isn't up to snuff. Customers who've bought those products, only to have them disappoint or fail altogether, will let you know there's trouble along the line. Those complaints can guide you in choosing suppliers more carefully. Or in tailoring quality-control strategies or line-supervision procedures more effectively.
Maybe your company provides services and relies on the knowledge and abilities of staff members to deliver those services to clients. If customer-facing employees don't measure up, you'll hear about it. Complaints (and the odd bit of praise!) about their work can guide you in areas as diverse as pre-employment screening, onboarding, competency specifications, training, performance management … you get the idea. If you just take time to listen and then consider all the ramifications of the feedback you receive, you can find the kinds of insight that can be turned into competitive advantages.
The same holds true with internal complaints. Your employees have valuable stories to tell. Leaders who demonstrate their willingness to listen and who provide the kind of safe and open environment that encourages free-flowing conversations can reap many benefits. If a strategy isn't working, employees are likely to be among the first to recognize problems. Involve them and they'll also help you solve those issues. Frontline workers are the first to hear customer feedback. Don't let that priceless intelligence slip through your fingers. Ask your employees what's working and what isn't. If you're spending money on benefits no one really wants, or on machinery or processes that don't help workers achieve optimal results, you need to know. And you need to be able to listen without getting caught up in the emotion that often drives complaints. Keeping a calm and objective perspective is crucial.
All six knowledge pillars i4cp offers can help you with strategies like turning complaints into positive, actionable insights. Sometimes the approaches are high-level, time-and-talent-intensive tactics. Sometimes they're as simple and fundamental as taking time to stop and listen to employees when you walk across the shop floor. Strategies are the currency you deal in as an organizational leader. You'll find them in every Knowledge Center in every pillar: Strategy, Leadership, Talent, Planning, Rewards and Compliance. Cash in now - I'll want to hear about your successes when I see you in line next Christmas. I'll be the one wearing pink … not!
Have you considered what treasures complaints can yield? Whether they come with actual returned merchandise or arrive in the form of e-mails, letters, phone calls, flaming arrows or some other communication, complaints can provide organizational leaders with invaluable - and usually freely given - advice that can help immensely when it comes to crafting new strategy or adjusting existing tactics.
Perhaps you've recently switched vendors and a key component of one of your product lines isn't up to snuff. Customers who've bought those products, only to have them disappoint or fail altogether, will let you know there's trouble along the line. Those complaints can guide you in choosing suppliers more carefully. Or in tailoring quality-control strategies or line-supervision procedures more effectively.
Maybe your company provides services and relies on the knowledge and abilities of staff members to deliver those services to clients. If customer-facing employees don't measure up, you'll hear about it. Complaints (and the odd bit of praise!) about their work can guide you in areas as diverse as pre-employment screening, onboarding, competency specifications, training, performance management … you get the idea. If you just take time to listen and then consider all the ramifications of the feedback you receive, you can find the kinds of insight that can be turned into competitive advantages.
The same holds true with internal complaints. Your employees have valuable stories to tell. Leaders who demonstrate their willingness to listen and who provide the kind of safe and open environment that encourages free-flowing conversations can reap many benefits. If a strategy isn't working, employees are likely to be among the first to recognize problems. Involve them and they'll also help you solve those issues. Frontline workers are the first to hear customer feedback. Don't let that priceless intelligence slip through your fingers. Ask your employees what's working and what isn't. If you're spending money on benefits no one really wants, or on machinery or processes that don't help workers achieve optimal results, you need to know. And you need to be able to listen without getting caught up in the emotion that often drives complaints. Keeping a calm and objective perspective is crucial.
All six knowledge pillars i4cp offers can help you with strategies like turning complaints into positive, actionable insights. Sometimes the approaches are high-level, time-and-talent-intensive tactics. Sometimes they're as simple and fundamental as taking time to stop and listen to employees when you walk across the shop floor. Strategies are the currency you deal in as an organizational leader. You'll find them in every Knowledge Center in every pillar: Strategy, Leadership, Talent, Planning, Rewards and Compliance. Cash in now - I'll want to hear about your successes when I see you in line next Christmas. I'll be the one wearing pink … not!
Carol Morrison is a Senior Research Analyst and Associate Editor with the Institute for Corporate Productivity (i4cp), specializing in workforce well-being research.