Probably no other department in an organization receives as many complaints as the Information Systems (IS) department. Because of the constant pressure of customer support, complaints must be seen as an opportunity to improve system quality, to learn, and to deepen relationships with customers. Otherwise, complaints are quickly perceived as a burden. As a result, customers will sense that their calls are unwelcome to the IS staff.
 
 Many of the same guidelines about handling any other kind of complaint applies to an IS department. However, there are unique aspects to IS complaints. We will cover ten aspects in this month's Complaint Is a Gift Corner. Next month, we will look at the balance. These ideas are presented in no particular order. 

 • Complaints can be early indicators of future problem areas. If these problems are not resolved, the customer attempt to "fix" them without IS help and thereby create additional problems. Early identification of problems can help in the identification and solution of glitches before they "domino" into larger problems.

 • Complaints can be an indication that the customer is ready to stop using the IS's development programs. Sometimes computer users get so frustrated with software and systems, that they resort to older, less efficient, clumsier software, costing everyone time, money, and irritation.

 • Because computer users are so completely and intimately involved with the IT products, they can be a tremendous source of design ideas and quality control. In today's world, there is no business tool that people use more than their computers.

 • Being open to complaints helps create a tighter link between users and IS personnel. With more regular contact, planners will be better able to assess the workability of their planning process when called in to work on projects. They can more readily identify needed system upgrades. All this helps prevent unnecessary down-the-line surprises.

 • If a complaint is to the in-house IS department, users not suggest a price rebate to compensate them. It's not their personal money that has been wasted, after all. As a result, in-house complainers have fewer suggestions for what will satisfy them. This can actually make it more difficult to satisfy them.

 • Many IS complaints are based on expectations that not be realistic. The computer systems have certain limitations that IS solutions simply cannot overcome. A complaint represents an opportunity to educate the users about what is possible.

 • Because of the high numbers of complaints that IS departments will receive, it is essential that the complaint handling approach be regularly assessed by the users. In many ways, satisfaction by users with IS departments is essentially the same as satisfaction with complaint handling.

 • Most IS complaints can be used as an opportunity to educate users about how to fix their own problems. Sensitivity on the part of the IS person is required, so the user doesn't feel as if a burden has been shifted to them, but rather that they have had an opportunity to learn a new skill.

 • Tracking complaints is essential to IS departments, so they can track time periods when there are more or fewer complaints. It's possible that over a period of time, an IS department could see that whenever other departments take on new hires, "complaints" go up. In this way, IS staffing levels could be adjusted in advance to accommodate other staffing levels. IS could also volunteer to become part of new hire orientation in an effort to ward off certain IS complaints.

 • Because so many business tasks are accomplished with computers, and because so many people procrastinate on important tasks, it is critical that the IS department be responsive to complaints, or calls for help. Speed, above all other variables, be the one that creates the greatest level of satisfaction among users.

 We'll finish up the rest of these ideas in March, 1999.
 

Janelle M. Barlow, Ph.D. 
Coauthor, A Complaint Is a Gift, Using Customer Feedback as a Strategic Tool
 

Previous "Complaint Is A Gift Corner" pages: 
 

#1	Overselling Service
#2	Not Listening to Complaints
#3	Plastic Chicken
#4	Complaints You Can Do Nothing About
#5	A+ Complaint Handling
#6	Beware! Others are Watching You
#7	At Least Keep Talking!
#8	Let Customers Know You'll Tell Someone
#9	If You're Going to Apologize, Then Mean It
#10	Keep Front-life Staff Well Informed
#11	Don't Set Goals to Reduce Complaints
#12	Products Used During Special Events
#13	Best Practices of Complaint-friendly Organizations
#14	Complaints About Mother Nature!
#15	Socially Offensive Situations
#16	A Complaint Is a Gift in Action

We invite you to submit your "best" examples by fax or e-mail. We won't print any company names with the "poor" examples, because we believe that every organization fails from time to time. We will give credit to companies delighting their customers. In the case of the "poor" examples, we'll comment on how we think this situation could have been handled better. If you want us to list your name, please tell us that is what you want to do.

A Complaint Is a Gift, The Training Program 

A Complaint Is a Gift, The Book

Note: We have been getting e-mail from our readers asking us to list the names of the companies who get complaints. Our policy is to never list names. The reason for this is because every company fails from time to time, and we wouldn't want to tar some company's name just because of one bad example. Furthermore, we are dependant upon the writer's side of the story. We don't know for sure what happened, and in the name of fairness, we will not post names. Furthermore, the purpose of this corner is not to pass complaints along to corporations. This Complaint Is a Gift corner is designed to look at examples of good and bad complaint handling so we can learn from these experiences. Please, if you have a direct complaint you want a company to learn about, contact them directly. In many cases, we have never heard of the company in question and have no idea how to reach them. Janelle Barlow

tel: 702 939-1800

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