Customer complaints are as old as humanity

Customer complaints are a modern phenomenon, right? Nope. They’ve been happening for as long as humans have traded with one another.

The oldest known written complaint was sent nearly four millennia ago, from the southern Mesopotamian city of Ur, in what is now Iraq. The complaint is etched on a tablet now housed in the British Museum, and it was against Ea-Nasir, a prominent copper trader, a seemingly notorious businessman who excited numerous complaints.  A man named Nanni was livid that Ea-Nasir had sent him inferior copper ingots in exchange for silver.

We humans began exchanging goods and services, and using various forms of currency to make payments, a very long time ago. And as soon as we did this, problems arose. Some purveyors cut corners or engaged in shoddy practices; much anger resulted. The enlightened knew even then that customers had to be appeased, not ignored.

Fast forward to today. The material and mediums of exchange have evolved, and the speed of transactions has increased exponentially. The dynamics of buyer-seller relationships, however, have barely changed. Some sellers still deceive, some still shortchange, some still serve reluctantly and sullenly. The buyers still complain, but these days, loudly and publicly. Nanni’s letter today would be an angry Tweet, or a scathing TikTok video.

Customer complaints are timeless and universal. They transcend time, geography, and technology. People complain in all epochs, in all languages, and using all media. Complaining is also inevitable. As long as commerce exists, complaints will follow. People will always have expectations about what they buy, and those expectations will not always be met. We have strong perceptions about fairness in trade (and everything else); we expect to receive what was promised.

Of course, not every seller is out to deceive. Only a small proportion of merchants are unscrupulous; most genuinely care about business longevity—but still get things wrong. Poor service, whether intended or not, elicits anger and frustration. The umbrage does not always come from the product or experience per se; often, it is about trust and respect, the two timeless cornerstones of customer relationships. We get most angry when we feel an agreement was broken, and that our sentiments are being disregarded.

Today, customer complaints can go viral in a few hours and snowball into a public-relations nightmare. What is the thoughtful customer-experience executive to do?

The advice is timeless, and I have written it here many times. First, never ignore the complaint. Acknowledge it and respond to it, even if you don’t have an immediate solution to offer. Silence is far from golden in this situation. Second, don’t deflect or deny or pass the blame. Don’t look for loopholes or escape hatches. Take the heat, with grace and remorse. Third, make amends. Apologies are necessary, but rarely sufficient. A refund, an exchange, a tangible action will be necessary. Don’t shirk this. And lastly, learn from the complaint. Complaints might look like waste matter in a hole in the ground, but down there sits a goldmine. If you can mine that gold, you will see the patterns that reveal what is broken in your customer journeys. The wisest sellers don’t just apologise; they learn and improve and stay the course.

This year’s Customer Service Week, our annual festival of feel-good customer activity, is about to kick off. Many CEOs will be wheeled out to meet customers in staged interactions; many freebies will be dished out; many fun costumes will be worn. It’s all very nice, but it is far from enough. If CS Week is very important for your organization, you are revealing that you are all about revelry over rigour, lip service over real service, fru-fru over fastidiousness.

Proper CX is not about balloons and party poppers. It requires resolute standard-setting from the very top; highly engaged frontline teams; and swish technology that makes transactions quick and convenient. It also requires a je ne sais quoi—an indescribable, difficult-to-copy quality that’s unique to your organization. To achieve that distinction is no walk in the park, nor is it a brief jamboree with customers. It requires building a culture of genuine care—and that’s really hard work.

That’s why customer complaints will continue. They have always been, and always will be, part of the business. Your response to them is what sets you apart. Here’s something you might try to work on once the festivities are over and the streamers and confetti have been swept away: empathy. 

Customer service isn’t just about resolving issues; it’s about understanding the person on the other end. Use CS Week to remind your teams of the power of empathy. True empathy—the ability to see things from the customer’s perspective, and to feel their frustration—sits quietly at the core of memorable service experiences. Enlightened CX leaders don’t just talk about empathy; they train for it. They make it a core part of the service toolkit.

Whether it’s role-playing scenarios, revisiting challenging cases, or inviting customers to share their personal stories, elevating empathy helps create a deeper connection with your customers. This builds trust, which is the foundation for any long-term relationship. When we know someone feels for us, we trust them to do what’s right.

(Sunday Nation, 6 October 2024)

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