very year, companies across the land spend a fortune on market research, focus groups and surveys, hoping to discover what their customers think, feel and believe. Complaints are also a valuable source of data. But most firms are focused solely on resolving them and tend to overlook or dismiss their strategic value.

Paying attention to complaints is a free and efficient way for you as ISOs and merchant level salespeople to gain insight into customers' true feelings.

Complaints offer you the opportunity to:

• Find out how customers feel about you
• Find out what customers honestly want from your product or service
• Correct any misperceptions on either end of the relationship
• Resolve problems before they become larger issues or before they escalate to your boss
• Remedy issues that other customers may also be facing.

Complaints are also a positive indication that customers want to continue doing business with you. Think about it. It takes more time and effort to lodge a complaint with you than to simply switch to one of your competitors.

The fact that customers bother to voice complaints shows that they care about preserving their relationship with you. So honor their investment in you by taking the complaint seriously and doing all you can to not only solve the problem but also make the entire relationship stronger.

Here are some tips for handling customer complaints:

Listen. When complaints are brought to your attention, listen with undivided attention. Take notes and don't interrupt. Even when you think you fully grasp the issues involved, let customers talk as long as they like. You may think this is a waste of time, but it's not. Customers need to vent, and they need to know they are being heard. Even if customers are angry with you, show them you are willing to take the tongue-lashing and make the situation right.

Apologize. Whether or not you are responsible for your customers' problems, if they complain to you, apologize. Resist the urge to point out what they could have done differently to avoid difficulties. They want their issues resolved so they can continue to work with you. They don't want you to make them feel stupid. Chances are both parties had a hand in causing the situation, but as the service provider, it's up to you to apologize.

Express thanks. Thank your customers for the opportunity to make the situation right. Acknowledge that you understand it might have been easier for them to simply move on to another company, and tell them you appreciate the chance to remedy the problem.

Question. Ask questions to assure that you understand the issues completely. Don't ask accusatory questions such as, didn't you run the transaction like I told you? or are you sure you didn't forget to close out the batch? The last thing you want is for the client to feel accused or attacked. Ask questions that repeat customers' key statements, so they can hear their words coming from your mouth and be certain that they've clearly conveyed to you the nature of the dilemma.

Plan. Meet with all involved parties within your company, and form a plan to correct problems. If a problem deals with product delivery, you will need to include your shipping and receiving department. If the problem is equipment related, you may need to involve the manufacturer. If the problem is service oriented, make sure your help desk or customer service department is on board as you form a plan to correct the issue.

Not only can these parties help solve problems; they also need to be aware that certain problems exist so they can recognize them should they occur with other customers. Everyone needs to be on the same page. Be specific and keep customers' needs in mind as you formulate remedies.

Communicate. Share your plans with customers before implementation to verify that you understand the problem and confirm that the solution you've planned will satisfy the customer.

That last thing you want is to solve the wrong issue or not solve the right issue completely. Customers don't want to feel that their complaints are either not taken seriously or not heard. Ask customers to confirm that the proposed remedy meets their expectations. Let your customers know when the plan has been executed and the issues resolved, and be sure to verify that they are satisfied.

Follow up. After full resolution, keep the lines of communication with your customers open. Ask for suggestions about how you can improve relationships and prevent future problems. Ask if they wish to discuss other issues. Thank customers again for the opportunity to improve your service.

Keep track. Keep a log of all company complaints and review it regularly. Look for trends or patterns. Analyze the log to see if certain departments, third-party providers or merchant types have more entries than others. Use this information to modify business practices or procedures to correct future complaints.

The next time you get an e-mail from a dissatisfied customer or answer the phone and hear an irate voice, embrace the experience. This is your chance to get an inside look at what your customers want and need. This oft-maligned aspect of business is your opportunity to improve business practices and build stronger customer relationships.