From Complaint to Compliment: The Remediation & Restoration Pro’s Guide to Customer Complaint Resolution

Quick Summary: RestoreInsure discusses how remediation and restoration complaints are common and capable of hurting your business if unresolved. This article shows how professionalism and setting expectations can prevent client complaints, and it provides eight steps for customer complaint resolution.

For over seven years, Ian has built a solid reputation testing homes as an indoor air quality consultant. So when the Petersons asked for help pinpointing what was making them sick in their newly renovated basement, Ian promised to do a full assessment and find answers.

During his three-hour inspection, Ian took air samples, swab samples, and moisture readings. While he identified slightly elevated dust mite allergens and minor VOC off-gassing from the new paint, everything was within normal ranges for a recently renovated space.

Two days after receiving the report, Mrs. Peterson sent a furious and accusing email.

“You said you’d find out what’s making my daughter sick. She’s still having headaches and nausea every day. We paid you $800 and you found NOTHING,” she wrote.

Uncomfortable with conflict and eager to set things right, Ian apologized.

“I’m so sorry,” he wrote. “We should have been more thorough. If your daughter’s still sick, then clearly I didn’t find the problem. Let me come back out and retest for free.”

Ian didn’t hear back from the Petersons immediately. But three weeks later, Ian received a certified letter. The Petersons were suing him for $50,000, claiming:

• Professional negligence in failing to identify hazardous conditions.
• Breach of contract for promising to identify what was causing their medical issues.
• Emotional distress and medical costs for their daughter’s ongoing illness.

Where did Ian go wrong? How could he have prevented the Petersons’ complaint and lawsuit? 

Read on to learn how customer complaints management can help you better serve your clients and protect your business.

How can customer complaint resolution protect your business?

Section Summary: Customer complaints are particularly common in the home improvement and construction industries. Unresolved remediation or restoration complaints can cause revenue loss, expensive lawsuits, and insurance claims.

If you’ve been in the business as long as Ian, chances are you’ve dealt with customer complaints. 

Home improvement and construction rank as the second-most-complained-about industry in the U.S. (That includes the remediation and restoration industry.) And while a fair amount of criticism results from shoddy workmanship, most complaints come down to poor communication. Remediation and restoration complaints commonly include things like:

• Underestimating service costs in the beginning, leading to a price increase later.
• Inability to deliver the exact product the client expected.
• Lack of communication during project stages.
• Misunderstandings about what services do and don’t include.

If left unresolved, complaints can put your reputation and revenue at risk. Common consequences of poor customer complaint management include:

• Bad reviews. Customers tell an average of 16 people about a negative experience. Furthermore, news of bad service reaches twice as many people as praise for good service.
• Loss of credibility. More than half of consumers will never work with you again after just one bad experience.
• Expensive lawsuits and insurance claims. As clients’ demands and emotions escalate, they’re more likely to take their complaints to court.

But before you let your stomach drop at every potential complaint, consider this: Many remediation and restoration complaints are preventable. 

There are things you can do to keep your clients satisfied and reduce the likelihood of remediation or restoration complaints. You can also take steps to resolve complaints before they escalate. Read on to find out how.

How can I prevent remediation and restoration complaints?

Section Summary: Professionalism and clear communication can prevent remediation and restoration complaints.

Satisfied customers rarely complain. So your best defense is customer-care offense. 

Most complaints stem from unmet expectations and poor communication, not the technical quality of the work itself. So take the time to help your clients feel informed, respected, and confident.

First, show off your professionalism by:

• Responding to calls and emails promptly.
• Being on time to appointments.
• Keeping you and your vehicle tidy and branded with your logo.
• Keeping your work area as clean as possible.
• Being courteous to others.

Then, make sure you’re a communication all-star by setting clear, realistic expectations about the scope of your work. Some ways to be transparent about the job:

• Help them understand the restoration or remediation process.
• Share which industry standards you’re following.
• Explain the job’s steps and why they’re necessary.
• Clarify what is and isn’t included in your services.
• Discuss potential complications or surprises that may arise.
• Be honest about likely timelines.
• Explain what you’re doing and why as you work.

Remember: It isn’t enough to say something once and assume your client understands or will remember it forever. Since restoration and remediation work can be inherently stressful for customers, it’s important to communicate the same information to clients multiple times and in multiple ways. 

For important information, like job scope, we recommend the rule of three: Tell them in person, on the phone, and in writing. By educating before you execute, you’re more likely to create satisfied customers who are on the same page as you, which mitigates remediation and restoration complaints.

8 Steps to Deal with Customer Complaints

Section Summary: When a customer complains, a sound client complaint resolution process starts with not admitting fault. Also, try to empathize, gather information, buy additional time, investigate internally, revisit the jobsite, contact your insurer, and find a resolution.

Even if you behave professionally, set thorough expectations, and perform great work, you could face remediation and restoration complaints. This is true whether you’re new or seasoned, part-time or full-time, in California or Maine. 

All restoration and remediation professionals will face client complaints during their careers. Having a robust customer complaints policy and procedures guide ready will make all the difference. Here are eight steps to deal with customer complaints in a way that builds rapport and reduces your risk of claims.

1. Don’t admit fault.

For many of us, saying “I’m sorry” is second nature. When you bump into someone on the street or spill a drink on someone’s shirt, you may say sorry without even thinking about it. But in business, apologizing shouldn’t be your first move.

Even if you made a mistake, even if you injured someone or damaged their property, you shouldn’t admit fault. That means you shouldn’t say things like:

• I must have missed that spot….
• I should have sampled more areas….
• That’s my fault….
• I got distracted….
• I’m sorry….

In our opening story, Ian admitted fault in multiple ways when he said he was “so sorry,” that he “should have been more thorough,” and that he “didn’t find the problem.” While Ian meant to diffuse the situation with his reply, he inadvertently escalated it.

Even if you feel genuinely remorseful, saying you did something wrong can:

• Make clients more upset, leading to more and higher demands.
• Go against insurance policy terms.
• Make you tougher to defend in court.

So don’t admit fault. Empathize instead.

2. Empathize.

Without admitting fault, acknowledge and sympathize with your client. You can do this even if their complaint is unfounded. 

By expressing kindness, you show you’re listening, even if you disagree. Additionally, by responding respectfully, you’re more likely to calm down an upset client.

For example,  Ian could have said something like this:

“Thank you for letting me know. I can see why you’d be upset. Having your daughter still be sick and not having any answers sounds frustrating and scary. Let me come out and retest for free to see if we can identify anything else.”

When you acknowledge what your client is feeling and going through, you give them the validation they need while avoiding inadvertently amplifying their complaint. This empathetic approach is central to managing customer complaints and feedback effectively.

3. Collect information about the complaint.

Not many people enjoy conflict. So when you get an angry phone call from a client, your flight response may kick in, and you may be looking for the quickest way to end the call. 

But don’t hang up just yet. Right now’s a great time for investigating customer complaints. Thorough customer grievance handling begins with listening carefully and gathering every relevant detail before forming a response.

Listen to the complaint and ask questions so you can understand more about the grievance. Some questions you may ask include:

• Is the client complaining? Or someone else?
• What’s the problem?
• When did the issue start?
• Do they have pictures to show before and/or after?
• Have they done anything to correct the issue with another contractor or on their own?

Once you’ve talked through their problem, ask them to email you any relevant information they can, like:

• Photos of the problem(s) they mentioned.
• A written description of their complaint, including when and how they discovered the issue(s).
• Repair costs, estimates, or proposals they’ve already received.

Documenting customer complaints in writing like this will help you keep your facts straight.

By collecting information upfront, you help your client feel heard and equip yourself for a better customer complaint resolution. This is a key part of how to investigate customer complaints in the remediation and property restoration business.

4. Buy additional time.

While it’s tempting to come up with a customer complaint resolution right away, don’t. It isn’t helpful. Try to fix things now and you’re more likely to react emotionally or miss out on important information. 

Instead, buy additional time by saying something like:

• Let me review your complaint and get back to you.
• I need to review my notes and your photos. Give me a couple of days and I’ll call you back.
• I’d like to take a look at my report and compare it to what you’re experiencing now. When would be a good time for me to revisit the property?

When you wait until you have all the facts and have talked to your insurance provider to give your final response, you give yourself the time you need to ensure your reply is as courteous and informed as possible.

5. Investigate allegations internally.

Now that you’ve heard your client’s side of the story, it’s time to round it out with any information you have. How does their complaint match up with your recollection of the service and your records? This internal customer complaint investigation is essential before making any commitments.

 Be sure to review:

• Your contract with the client.
• The job’s report.
• Any correspondence you had with the client before or after the service.
• Any notes or additional photos you took about or on the job that didn’t appear in the report.

If you weren’t the one who performed the service, or if you didn’t do the job on your own, take time to discuss the complaint with the other contractor who did.

The more facts you have about the complaint, the more productive you’ll be when you revisit the property.

6. Revisit the property.

Do enough jobs and they may start to blur together. Add the fact that many claims come weeks, months, or even years later, and the jobsite may look completely different now.

Revisiting the property allows you to respond from a position of knowledge rather than guesswork. By returning to the jobsite, you can:

• Gather new evidence with new photos and measurements.
• Verify your original findings by comparing current conditions to your original assessment.
• Identify potential missed areas with additional sampling and alternate testing methods.
• Assess if a current condition was reasonably detectable at the time of your service by identifying past or present obstructions and establishing a potential timeline, like for mold growth.
• Determine the extent of the client’s issue.

Armed with all that additional intel, you can create a more credible, accurate, and professional customer complaint resolution.

7. Contact your insurance provider.

When someone lodges a complaint against your restoration or remediation business, it can cost you precious time, money, and resources. A single lawsuit, even a false or exaggerated one, can generate thousands in legal fees, settlements, and lost business. That’s why it’s so important to carry insurance and report claims as soon as you receive them.

Every insurer has a different definition of a claim. To find out what yours is, read your policy or talk to your broker. Even if your client’s complaint isn’t a claim yet, letting your insurer know there’s a problem now can help their claims team be better prepared to respond if the issue does escalate.

If your client’s complaint is a claim, there’s still good news: Your insurance company will take it from here and help you find a resolution. If it isn’t a claim, your insurer may still have some advice for how to remedy your client’s complaint.

8. Find a resolution.

You’ve completed the other steps in resolving customer complaints. Now that you have all the facts and you’ve talked to your insurer, you’re ready for your preparation to pay off. It’s time to reach a customer complaint resolution.

If you genuinely missed something, you may provide corrective remediation or restoration work at no charge. You may also consider offering a refund or a discounted service.

If you find you weren’t at fault because the issue developed after your service or the problem is outside the scope of your original work, your response should:

• Reference your original contract and scope.
• Clearly explain what was and wasn’t included in your service.
• Present evidence of a timeline.
• Explain how problems can develop after your service and under what conditions.
• Educate clients on how to address their problems, like who to call and what to say to get the help they need from the right professional.

Regardless of fault, approaching your client with a willingness to make it right is key to retaining customers by handling complaints professionally. As you strengthen your clients’ trust, you also protect your reputation and business. That’s what we call a win-win.

Turn customer complaints into compliments.

For Ian, his clients’ misunderstanding about the limits of air quality testing and his hastily written apology created a nasty lawsuit. But that doesn’t have to happen to you.

The next time you receive a customer complaint, reframe it as an opportunity. A strong customer issue resolution process that’s grounded in empathy, evidence, and professionalism is your best tool. Understanding the full customer complaint resolution process and strategy outlined above makes you a better business owner. It can even lead to more business in the future.

So don’t panic, remember the eight steps of handling customer complaints, and walk away with happier, more loyal clients.

You know the importance of retaining customers by handling complaints. But does your insurance provider know how to help you when your customers complain?

Whether you’re an indoor air quality consultant like Ian or an asbestos remediation expert, a crime scene cleanup professional or a historical building restorer, we can help. Fill out our contact form below to schedule a call and find out how RestoreInsure can support your customer complaints management.