As an engineering manager, you may encounter stakeholder complaints from time to time. Whether they are internal or external, positive or negative, constructive or destructive, you need to handle them in a timely and professional manner. Here are some tips on how to do that.
The first step is to acknowledge the complaint and show empathy. Don't ignore, dismiss, or argue with the stakeholder. Instead, listen actively, thank them for their feedback, and apologize for any inconvenience or dissatisfaction they may have experienced. This will help you build rapport and trust with the stakeholder, and show them that you care about their concerns.
1. Based on my experience, any type of escalations is better to be handeled over a phone all , Teams call rather than email. 2. This is because, typed words does not convey the exact emotions, sometimes. 3. Sincerely accepting on the what went wrong & apologizing with a backup plan/remedies will help to normalize the situation.
To effectively analyze customer complaints, it is helpful to have a standardized form in place where customers can provide all relevant information, such as their name, age, gender, location, contact information, the product they purchased, and a description of their complaint. This information can then be used to identify trends and patterns, such as which locations generate the most complaints or which demographic groups are most likely to complain
The next step is to clarify the problem and understand the stakeholder's expectations and needs. Ask open-ended questions, paraphrase what they said, and confirm your understanding. Avoid making assumptions, jumping to conclusions, or blaming others. This will help you identify the root cause of the complaint, and avoid miscommunication or misunderstanding.
I've found it's very important to have a product or service traceability this will help you to clarify the problem effectively, in traceability you can identify the operations conditions, also you can use one of the problem solving tools to detect the root causes of the problem, as you can use Ishikawa diagram, or 5 whys or tree fault diagram or any suitable problem solving techniques
The third step is to offer a solution that is feasible, realistic, and acceptable to the stakeholder. Explain how you plan to resolve the issue, what actions you will take, and when you will follow up. If you need more time or information, let the stakeholder know and set a deadline. If you can't provide a solution, explain why and offer alternatives or referrals. This will help you demonstrate your competence and commitment, and satisfy the stakeholder's expectations.
It's very important to implement 2 types of actions, Correction action and Corrective action Correction action: it's a quick action to your customer to satisfy the customer and corrective action: it's an action to eliminate the root cause of the complaint in order to not repeated in the future with the same customer or any other customer
1. Once the situation has been analyzed, its important to arrive at a amicable solution which is agreeable to stakeholder. 2. During the solution implementation phase, its very important to keep in touch with stakeholder on time to time basis & make him aware of the progress.
The fourth step is to implement the solution and deliver on your promises. Do what you said you would do, and do it well. Communicate regularly with the stakeholder, update them on the progress, and ask for their feedback. If you encounter any challenges or delays, inform them as soon as possible and adjust your plan accordingly. This will help you show your reliability and accountability, and improve the stakeholder's satisfaction.
Two forms are very important for the implementation of solutions and actions one of them is corrective action form that includes the data of corrective actions and all important information about the actions for example the responsible person, the target date, who will follow up, who will verify and how you will measure the effectiveness of the actions, the other form would be corrective actions tracking form, in order to follow up all of the actions.
1. Its important to keep a check on the implemented solution. 2. Whether the implemented solution was short term solution or long term ? Did the problem solved temperorily or permanently ? Did we find out the root cause ? Its very important to make the stakeholder aware of the facts. 3. This will help to build the trust.
The fifth step is to follow up and close the loop with the stakeholder. Confirm that the issue has been resolved, thank them for their cooperation, and ask for their confirmation. If they are happy with the outcome, express your appreciation and invite them to contact you again if they have any questions or concerns. If they are still unhappy, apologize and try to find out why and what you can do to improve. This will help you ensure that the complaint has been handled effectively, and strengthen your relationship with the stakeholder.
follow up shall be done with your customer in order to make sure that he is satisfied and also you have to follow up the corrective actions to check the effectiveness of the corrective actions to prevent recurrence in the future
1. Once the issues has been completely resolved, its important to send a detailed report with the stats. 2. Making stakeholder aware about the root cause & the solution that was implemented, is cruical. 3. An email to the stakeholder, with the steps involved, actions taken, records, is actually very helpful.
The final step is to learn and improve from the stakeholder complaint. Reflect on what went well and what went wrong, and identify any gaps or areas for improvement. Share your insights and feedback with your team, and implement any changes or actions that can prevent or reduce similar complaints in the future. This will help you enhance your skills and performance, and increase your stakeholder satisfaction and loyalty.
1. Last but not least is sharing the lessons learnt within team. 2. This helps to avoid repeating same errors/potential errors. 3. Lessons learnt can be part of the 'Technical Training' to the next set of team members.