Description

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The third edition of this bestseller (over 275,000 copies sold) builds on the tested formula that helps organizations recognize the value of complaints using updated examples and concepts in the age of COVID-19.

The first edition of A Complaint Is a Gift introduced the revolutionary notion that customer complaints are not annoyances to be dodged, denied, or buried but are instead valuable pieces of feedback—not to mention your best bargain in market research. Complaints provide a feedback mechanism that can help organizations rapidly and inexpensively strengthen products, service style, and market focus. Most importantly, complaints that are well received create customer loyalty.

This new edition condenses the tried and true eight-step formula into a tighter, more efficient three-step formula. From her work with clients, the author has updated industry-specific complaint examples and added in new concepts, such as a process that enables employees to handle complaints with increased emotional resilience—something that is sorely needed since dealing with increasingly difficult customers is a common occurrence in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Handling complaints doesn’t have to be a negative, soul-crushing experience. Janelle Barlow gives the right tools to treat each of them as a source of innovative ideas that can transform your business.

About the Author

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Janelle Barlow is president and owner of All Out Performance and has decades of experience as a consultant, executive coach, speaker, and author. Her past clients include World Bank Group, HP, and DHL. She has served as president for the Global Speakers Federation and the National Speakers Association chapters in both Northern California and New Mexico, and she is a partner with the multinational training and consulting group MoveMinds. Barlow’s numerous awards include the Legend of the Speaking Industry, CSP from the National Speakers Association, and Consultant of the Year from both TMI International and TACK International. She is the bestselling author of A Complaint Is a Gift (over 275,000 copies sold).

Praise For…

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“Eye-opening and powerful, with practical examples addressing the latest customer expectations and tech trends. Two new chapters on online complaining are worth the cost of the entire book. Barlow’s Gift Formula for handling complaints not only fosters positive word of mouth but makes employees feel successful and empowered. It assures that the CSRs will listen and impact company operations to prevent future similar occurrences.”
—John A. Goodman, Vice Chairman, Customer Care Measurement & Consulting, and author of Customer Experience 3.0

“Having surveyed more than 10,000 customers about what goes down when things go wrong has afforded me a privileged point of view of the customer complaining experience. Corporate leaders and the media are quick to ask, ‘What will it take for companies to turn the corner and deliver a better experience when customers have problems?’ Janelle Barlow’s third edition offers a profoundly practical answer to that all-important question.”
—Scott M. Broetzmann, author of the National Customer Rage studies

“The best book to help companies understand that making a business better is a two-way street. I know from personal experience that it’s only when my customers complained that I grew and learned. I wish more of my clients told me about their dissatisfaction. This book is like vitamins for a business.”
—Buddy Blattner, former President, Active Screw & Fastener