1. Be Swift When someone has an issue with your company, address it quickly. Promptness goes a long way in letting customers know you truly care about their business.

2. Go Deep Dont just give someones complaint surface treatment. Seek to find the root of the problem, and after correcting it, redirect your employees to keep it from occurring again.

3. Listen Many times clients dont want anything fixed; they just want to tell you what happened. Let them talk and express their feelings, and theyll leave more content.

4. Seek First To Understand This is Coveys 5th Habit: Diagnose before you prescribe. Let your customer share her side of the story before asking what you can do to fix the situation.

5. Send A Note In this age of e-mail and IM, few take the time to send hand-written notes. Investing two minutes and 39-cents after you resolve an issue will make a lasting impression.

6. Never Make Excuses The last thing a client wants to hear is why it happened. He only cares about what youre going to do. Keep this in mind, and choose your responses carefully.

7. Be Fair Resolving complaints is a key part of owning your own small business. When you consider how hard it is to get new customers, it makes sense to seek equitable resolutions.

8. Think Long-Term Remember, the objective is for clients to continue doing business with you. Use their complaints as an opportunity to Wow! them with your unexpected response.

9. Apologize Sometimes all a customer wants is to hear you say Im sorry. Start the conversation with First, I apologize for anything we did, and youll diffuse a lot of his anger.

10. Ask After allowing customers to voice their displeasure, ask what they would like you to do. They may not want much, and for minimal reparations you can save the relationship.

11. Do It Yourself Clients never want to be contacted by someone without power to resolve situations. Dont dodge discomfort. Step up to the plate and handle complaints yourself.