Allen And Associates Complaints Weblog

Author: Juliet Mumford

Many clients I talk to often believe that they do not have an issue with customer satisfaction because they receive very few complaints. It is therefore often a surprise to them when I explain why this is no where near an accurate measure of customer satisfaction. This article explains why…

I’d like you to put yourself in the shoes of a customer. It shouldn’t be too difficult as we are all customers every day of our life. Let’s imagine you have taken out someone close to you for a celebratory dinner. As the night progresses, it becomes clear that the service at the restaurant is not as slick as you would have liked, and the food is ok but nothing out of this world. Despite the restaurant’s shortcomings, when the waitress comes over at the end of your meal and asks, Did you enjoy your meal?’ what do you say? I’m not a betting woman, but my money would be on you responding with something along the lines of It was lovely, thank you.’ Why? Because: most people feel they will ruin a lovely evening by complaining; its generally too late to do anything about it anyway, so what’s the point; and most people don’t like to complain face to face because it feels confrontational. However, when our friends and family suggest going to the same restaurant for dinner, what do we do? We tell them that they shouldn’t bother and list off all the reasons why they should go elsewhere. Sound familiar? So why would your customers be any different?

Recognising this phenomenon, BA decided to conduct its own research to see what happened with its complaints procedure. Remarkably, they discovered that only 8% of customer complaints were ever registered with a customer services representative  in other words, just the tip of the iceberg. Instead, 23% talked to the nearest employee, and a further 69% suffered in silence and did not tell anyone at BA. Had BA been basing its customer satisfaction on the number of complaints received they would have only been looking at a tiny part of the total picture.

Very few dissatisfied customers complain, making this a meaningless measure of customer satisfaction.

Very few customers will complain directly to you, but that does not mean that they won’t complain to other people. In fact in reality it’s quite the opposite! Let’s think back to the restaurant example I gave at the beginning of this article. Realistically, how many people would you tell if you thought a restaurant was offering bad food and service?

A research study conducted back in 1999 discovered that on average an unhappy customer will tell 10 people about their experience. In turn, these 10 people will each tell a further 5 people, meaning that a total of 50 people will have heard about their bad experience. A sobering thought, wouldn’t you say? What’s even more frightening, however, is that if we work on the basis that only one out of every ten of your dissatisfied customers registers a complaint with you, then in total, for every formal complaint you receive, 500 people will have heard about your customers’ problems!

Customers very rarely complain to the service/ product provider. The reality is, they are far more likely to let their friends know, who will in turn tell their friends, creating a pyramid of dissatisfaction.

The good news is that this is not a problem without a solution. Equally, the solution is something that can be achieved by resorts large and small. In essence, you simply need to ask your customers what they think of you! Now don’t get me wrong, it takes a brave organisation to ask their customers to give their honest opinions, and you have to be prepared to take the rough with the smooth. However, it is only those organisations that understand what makes their customers unhappy that are able to put improvements in place for the future.

Ultimately, if you conduct a customer satisfaction survey it will not only give you a benchmark of where you are today, but if you ask the right questions in the first place, it will also enable you to highlight your priorities for improvement so that you know you are putting your energies into those areas that are of the highest importance to your customers. As the old adage goes, you can’t manage what you don’t measure.

The key to the success of your business is held by your customers. Only by understanding them better will you be able to unlock your business’s future potential.

Measuring customer satisfaction is only the first step of course. It’s what you do with the findings that will make the real difference. By turning the insight into action, in other words, by looking at your business with a fresh pair of eyes and making the changes that mean the most to your customers you will benefit from: ” Improved customer retention ” Increased sales as satisfied customers tend to buy more often and a wider range ” Increased control over your customers because you understand your customers better ” More referrals generated from your current customers

How much incremental revenue would even a small increase in each of these areas give to your business? As I said, I’m not a betting woman, but I’d take a stab that it would be much lower than the investment required to find otu what makes your customers tick.

Author: Kadence Buchanan
Article is submitted by Complaints
In the tough economy that we’re currently facing, it can be quite difficult to find a job that suits your skills and pays well. It’s important to take advantage of every opportunity that you can to boost your employability, and in this article, we’ll mention some tips at how to get yourself the job that you deserve.

- One thing that people can do to boost their employability is to participate in some volunteer work. A rewarding experience in and of itself, volunteering can help you to learn skills that you would not otherwise be able to obtain. In addition to showing that you have a strong work ethic and a certain level of empathy when it comes to helping others, volunteering in places that relate to the job skills you wish to acquire can really put your career hunt into high-gear.

- When you’re looking to get a career that is outside of your normal experiences, it can be helpful to get a little insight into the industry from a friend. Search out people that you know that are in the field that you wish to be employed in and ask if you can pick their brains over a cup of coffee. The more you know about the job that you are looking for, the better chance you have of impressing the interviewer with your knowledge of the subject.

- If you’re looking for a career that requires a certain degree of specialization, you may wish to consider taking an internship. When your work experience is over at the internship, the company may wish to hire you on. If not, they may know of another company that does the same types of business that may require your services. Discipline and determination are very important when it comes to landing a solid career.

- When you’ve set up an interview with a company, do your homework. Learn all that you can about the company and the services that it performs, and you’ll be able to impress the interviewer with your fortitude and your studying ethic when it comes to getting what you want.

By: Attorney Gabriel Cosh
Since the beginning of the capitalist society in the world, the struggles contradictions between employers and employees have existed along with it. And also the agreements made binding by putting them on paper.

During the early days, individuals just trust and rely on each other’s words in establishing an employment agreement from the plowing of the fields, gathering of produce, herding animals and even in building and repairing furniture, houses and things.

As the changes in society go on, the word of individuals lose more credibility, what once was effective by just a handshake or a nod between people now need thousands of words written in ink. More so, it has come to that time where even written words are not enough to bind people’s contracts. Notarization has now become the standard.
Employers and employees both have different needs and purposes for entering into an employment agreement.

On the part of the employer, it is a security against unscrupulous, dishonest and unfit employees. It is a way of making employees commit to the terms of employment from the work hours, job description, quality of work and compensation among many other things.

On the part of the employee, an employment agreement works to bind an employer also to labor standards and relations involved in the employment. It is a safeguard from wrongful termination, discrimination and non-payment of benefits among others.

Employment agreement is crucial to achieve a secure working relationship between employer and employees. Sometimes disputes could be avoided or easily resolved if the same had been included in the employment agreement. An example would be the manner of resolving disputes. If the agreement includes grievance mechanisms to resolve employment problems at the first instance, then there will be no confusion or impasse in case employment matters arise.

Actually, employment agreement is beneficial for both. An employer will feel secured from unnecessary and bogus suits against corrupt or untrustworthy employees who just want to claim easy money by blackmailing employers in dragging them to employment law suits unless said employers would be willing to settle the matter for a sum.

An employee actually is even more benefited by an employment agreement. People are sometimes defined by what they do and often times people work as a necessity, the only means to provide for the family. An employment agreement will give an employee job security as well as protection from harassment and discrimination. Employees are also more vulnerable from lawsuits from their employers without an employment agreement. Oftentimes, they just settle if only to avoid the costs and stress related to the problems of litigation.

In the end, it is best for both employers and employees to have a just and complete employment agreement that can be provided by an expert employment attorney. For both parties, seeking counsel is money and time well spent.

Posted by Complaints

Author: Ron Clover

One of the main factors causing apprehension in the job selection process is our fear of the interviewer’s relative power in comparison to ours in an interview situation. Many job application see in the interviewer a powerful figure that has the ability to influence our future. The knowledge that the interviewer influences our chances of obtaining a sought after position, transforms him/her into a powerful and at times threatening figure. In addition, if the interviewer is also a trained psychologist our feelings of stress and concern increase even more. As a psychologist, we assume that the interviewer has the ability to spot our weaknesses and ‘read our mind and soul’ like an x-ray machine. This assumption often causes stress and creates an emotional reaction that jeopardizes our ability to handle the situation in a practical manner.

Certain job seekers in an interview situation tend to be introverted, defensive, avoid eye contact, speak softly and quite often are overly modest as if trying to prevent the interviewer from ‘revealing’ their weaknesses. Deep down they hope that the interviewer will appreciate their modesty, subtlety, gentleness and humane side and view these traits positively. This model of behavior is commonly practiced by job applicants who assume the interviewer will avoid recommending applicants that are too dominant (or perhaps even have the potential of threatening their own status were they to be colleagues).

On the other side of the spectrum there are job applicants that adopt an opposing stance. To overcome their stress, anticipation and the knowledge that the interviewer can influence their future career, they are often disrespectful and try to undermine the interviewer.
They often think along the lines of:
“Who do they think they are anyway?”
“How can they possibly know how suitable I am for this position?”
Some job applicants even go as far as adopting an aggressive approach. They tend to repeat the interviewers’ questions, be sarcastic and are often defiant as if the interviewer’s questions are illegitimate. They are skeptical of the interviewer’s ability to assess their suitability for the position. Such job applicants presume that if they fail to obtain the required position it is due to the interviewer’s inability to assess their skills rather than genuine lack of skills on their part. They often do not comprehend that their emotional reactions are a direct result of the power they attribute to the interviewer over themselves and their future.
The patterns of behavior on both sides of this spectrum, introvert vs. dominant and controlling, are typical of job applicants who feel lack of confidence and insecurity in an interview situation.

For example, a sales & marketing executive currently working at a big firm, 43 years old, with an MBA is applying for a new post and is invited for an interview at a recruitment agency acting on behalf of the recruiting organization. Upon arrival he is informed that he will be interviewed by a 24 year old woman. His gut reaction (which he kept to himself!) was “what does she know?! I find it odd that such a young woman can interview such an experienced person like my self”

This initial reaction resulted in critical, sarcastic and disrespectful behavior demonstrated on his part. The interviewer felt his hostile attitude and concluded that the job applicant is aggressive. She may also conclude that his reaction is a direct result of his inability at dealing with her authority as an interviewer. In conclusion, his behavior reduces his chances of succeeding at the interview. His demeaning attitude is interpreted as inadequate and as a reflection of his lack of self-confidence.

Remember! - an interview is an opportunity for you to exhibit your qualifications and skills rather than an opportunity to engage in friendly conversation and gain sympathy. Just as there is no reason for you to be offended or defensive when meeting a hostile interviewer, you must not celebrate and ‘let your guard down’ when meeting a friendly and informal interviewer. In both cases you must be concise, well mannered and answer adequately to the questions asked – nothing more or less.

One of the main purposes of preparing for an interview is to learn how to deal with the power the interviewer exerts – to let yourself, the interviewee, feel confident and secure when facing the interviewer, regardless of who that interview may be and the type of behavior they demonstrate.