SOP: Handling a Client Complaint

To resolve complaints quickly and fairly, protect the relationship where possible, and make sure the same problem doesn't recur.

Covers complaints received by any channel. Legal threats, safety issues, and data incidents escalate immediately to [Name] and are not handled under this SOP alone.

First responder: whoever receives it. Owner: [Name]. Escalation: [Name].

- [CRM]
- Simple Incident / Escalation Log
- The customer's file and history

- The complaint itself
- The relevant agreement and scope
- The delivery history and correspondence

STEP 1 — Acknowledge fast (within [4] working hours)
"Thanks for telling me, [Name]. I'm sorry this has happened. I'm looking into it now and will come back to you by [time] with either an answer or an update."
Acknowledge the experience. Do not admit liability or assign blame before you know the facts.

STEP 2 — Listen properly
Call them if you can. Ask them to describe what happened, then ask: "What would a good outcome look like for you?" Write down their answer.

STEP 3 — Establish the facts (within [1] working day)
Review the agreement, the scope, the correspondence, and the delivery record. Speak to anyone involved. Separate what happened from what was expected.

STEP 4 — Decide the response
Options: fix it, redo it, credit it, refund it, or explain why it's outside scope. Choose based on facts, the agreement, and the value of the relationship — not on who complained loudest.

STEP 5 — Respond (within [2] working days)
Say what happened, what you're doing, by when, and what you're changing so it doesn't recur. Be specific. Never argue.

STEP 6 — Do what you said
On time. A missed remedy deadline turns a recoverable complaint into a lost customer.

STEP 7 — Confirm resolution
"Is this resolved from your point of view?" Get an explicit yes.

STEP 8 — Log and fix the cause
Record it in the incident log. If it's a process failure, update the relevant SOP the same week.

STEP 9 — Follow up
Check in [30] days later.

[ ] Acknowledged within [4] working hours
[ ] The customer was asked what outcome they want
[ ] Facts established before any decision
[ ] Nothing promised that can't be delivered
[ ] Response given within [2] working days
[ ] Remedy delivered by the date promised
[ ] Explicit confirmation of resolution obtained
[ ] Logged in the incident log with root cause
[ ] Relevant SOP updated if the cause was a process failure
[ ] [30]-day follow-up scheduled

The customer has confirmed the issue is resolved, the remedy has been delivered, the incident is logged with a root cause, and any process change has been made.

Last reviewed: [Date]
Next review: [Date] (review at least every [6] months, or immediately after any incident involving this process)
Reviewed by: [Name]
Version: [1.0]