Korrespondenz auf Englisch - Beschwerdebriefe professionell beantworten

Schlagwörter: Korrespondenz auf Englisch, Beschwerdebriefe auf Englisch beantworten, Beschweren auf Englisch beantworten, Beschwerde auf Englisch beantworten, Englisch Beschwerde

You've received a written complaint from an international customer and now need to resolve the issue. Your first step - even if you will be contacting the customer by telephone - is to respond in writing. You'll need to write what's called a response letter.

Writing a response letter can be tricky because it requires more than just responding to the complaint. The first thread in the rope representing the bond between your company and the customer has been broken. The entire customer relationship is now at stake. How you handle the complaint will determine whether the thread is repaired, leaving the relationship intact and strengthened, or broken, leading the entire rope to eventually snap.

What makes things difficult is that an effective response involves more than just solving the customer's problem. It requires restoring the customer's confidence and loyalty to your company. A number of issues are simultaneously in play:

• The problem



• The customer's emotional state as a result of the problem



• The customer's emotional state upon receipt of your response letter



• The customer's satisfaction with your proposed solution



• The customer's interpretation of your sincerity and helpfulness



• The customer's feeling for how much your company values his patronage

• You must respond to a complaint letter immediately. If you can't solve the problem immediately or don't have enough information, the first response letter should acknowledge receipt of the complaint, inform the customer that the matter is now under review and request any missing information. The second letter should then address the complaint.



• Be sure you understand your organisation's guidelines for service levels, approved actions, compensation and acceptance of liability. Review any response letter you've written to ensure compliance with these guidelines before sending it.

1. Open by stating the reason you are writing. Refer to the complaint letter by date.



2. Restate the complaint to demonstrate you have understood it.



3. Sympathise (refer to Entschuldigen und Mitgefühl ausdrucken, OBET 10/2007). Keep in mind - if you will not be apologising - that you can still - and should - sympathise without necessarily agreeing with the customer's complaint or accepting liability for the problem.



4. If your company is at fault, apologise.



5. Explain how the problem or error occurred, if this is relevant.



6. State exactly what you will do to solve the problem or compensate the customer. If you cannot accept the customer's proposed solution, or if he has not suggested one, state your proposed solution.



7. Apologise for the situation and for the customer's inconvenience. State what you will do to compensate for these factors (this is the extra mile).



8. State the importance of the customer to your company and the value of his feedback.

• Reduce the focus on you and increase the focus on the customer. Replace I and we with you wherever possible.



• Avoid placing blame, even if the customer's claim is weak. His feelings are not wrong, no matter what the situation. The customer should never take the blame in a response letter. You can address almost any situation without placing blame.



• Be sure your writing style sounds like someone speaking in a friendly tone. A response letter that sounds formal will have the effect of a slap on the face.



• Keep it short. Review each statement you make and test its removal. If the letter has the same meaning without the statement, remove it.



• If you need the customer to do something in order to complete the problem resolution process, be clear and strong about it at the end of your letter. The customer will feel like a process has started - one that will reliably lead to a solution.



• Ask someone to check your letter for style, tone, friendliness, spelling and grammar.



• Re-read the letter and ask yourself if you would personally be happy with the tone, message and resolution if you were in the customer?s shoes. If you have followed corporate guidelines and you would not be happy with the resolution yourself, raise the issue with your manager before sending the letter.



• Do not respond to statements of anger or accusations. Keep your focus on resolving the problem in a positive manner.



Schlagwörter: Korrespondenz auf Englisch, Beschwerdebriefe auf Englisch beantworten, Beschweren auf Englisch beantworten, Beschwerde auf Englisch beantworten, Englisch Beschwerde

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