Hearts & Minds: How to handle the customer complaint that reacges the CEO’s inbox

Each day, corporates have to deal with unhappy customers. If yours is consumer-facing, the customer services team will forever be fielding complaints. Many are trivial, some more consequential.

Every so often, one will look as though it might escalate. An enterprising customer will cc journalists and MPs on their emails. They may find the CEO’s direct email and those of senior colleagues and stakeholders.

The comms team, who would otherwise be in blissful ignorance, is involved. It’s taking off, the language is emotional, it’s possible to envisage the accusatory headlines and heart-rending pictures of the complainant, clutching a sheaf of unanswered missives. God forbid; the MP may let rip under the blanket of privilege. Social media is primed to erupt.

The CEO must act, and quickly. Hang on, is this an over-reaction, does it make sense, is their intervention necessary? The short, unsatisfactory answer is it depends. There are no hard and fast rules to when and how the chief should act. There may have been that moment of panic at what might result, but slow down and step back. Is the complaint justified, what are the facts, from your end, not from theirs?  

By all means, send a holding reply and say the grievance is being looked into. If you do go down this route, check one has not been sent previously. Also, mean it. Saying you’re going to do something, then not doing it, only adds fuel to the fire.

Has this seriously got the ability to explode? That is for the comms specialists to advise. They will draw on their experience and knowledge to opine. Yes, a journalist and MP may be contacted; yes, influencers are circling. But in a sense, so what? Stay calm. It does not mean what is being said is true or accurate, that it holds water. The reporter or Commons researcher or commentator may see it for what it is - rubbish. Remember, they do not want to be embarrassed either; they’ve also got reputations to maintain.

If the suggestion is that it has, this one does threaten the brand, then the CEO must be seen to take it up. They should show empathy. It may end up with lawyers but the CEO has to display their human, caring side, as if whatever has happened had happened to them. It’s a nightmare, but with the right advice, one that cannot be resolved.

Chris Blackhurst is one of the UK’s foremost business journalists. He was previously Editor of The Independent and City Editor of the Evening Standard.