--- title: A Complaint Is a Gift (I Hope I'm Not That Gift Worthy) description: ExperiencePoint customer support representative discusses what she learns from complaints from customers and why they should be seen as a gift and not bad. --- Primary Menu *A Complaint Is a Gift (I Hope I'm Not That Gift Worthy)* May 1, 2009 [by Tanya Bell POSTED ON May 1, 2009](https://blog.experiencepoint.com/author/tanya-bell) [mailto:?body=https://blog.experiencepoint.com/2009/05/01/a-complaint-is-a-gift-i-hope-im-not-that-gift-worthy](mailto:?body=https://blog.experiencepoint.com/2009/05/01/a-complaint-is-a-gift-i-hope-im-not-that-gift-worthy) As the customer support representative at ExperiencePoint, delivering good customer service and responding to customer feedback is near and dear to my heart.  This is one of my first blog posts and I’m a little nervous, but here goes: I recently came across a great book titled “A Complaint is a Gift” by Janelle Barlow and Claus Moller.  This book help strengthened my belief that a customer complaint is a good thing! To ensure that we receive this “gift” of customer complaints, expectations need to be set during the sales process so that the customer knows that the product/service they’re receiving is first class, any problems will be handled positively and quickly and we will work together to regain their satisfaction. The book quotes John Davis (former IBM rep) “the selling edge trick is to establish a continuous flowing pipeline from the customer’s mind to the salespersons’ ear.  When you keep track of what customers want and do not want, what pleased and gripes them, you can adjust your sights accordingly and stay a step ahead of the competitors. “ Should a customer complain because they are not satisfied, we should thank them for their feedback, fix the problem, take responsibility and be polite and friendly. Sometimes a difficult situation is an opportunity to wow the customer and if you’ve handled it well, it’s a powerful source of positive word of mouth. To not seek out customer feedback is a big mistake.  Your customer could be dissatisfied with your product or services and are keeping silent.  You will never know unless you ask.   You NEED to get customer feedback and most customers loved to be asked. If any of our ExperiencePoint customers are reading this right now, I encourage you to take this opportunity and send me a “gift”!  #### Trending This Week [1 — ExperiencePoint Why IT Leaders Need a Different Playbook for AI Adoption](https://blog.experiencepoint.com/why-it-leaders-need-a-different-playbook-for-ai-adoption) [2 — ExperiencePoint KickstartChange™ in Practice: Building Change Capability Faster](https://blog.experiencepoint.com/kickstartchange-in-practice-joanna-kirke) [3 — ExperiencePoint 5 Ways Leaders Can Drive Better ROI from AI Adoption](https://blog.experiencepoint.com/5-ways-leaders-can-drive-better-roi-from-ai-adoption) ## Popular Posts ## [Design Thinking How Netflix Used Design Thinking to Reinvent Itself, Over and Over](https://blog.experiencepoint.com/how-netflix-uses-design-thinking) ## [Design Thinking 5 Icebreakers to Ignite Your Design Thinking Session](https://blog.experiencepoint.com/5-icebreakers-for-design-thinking) ## [Innovation KFC’s Menu Innovations](https://blog.experiencepoint.com/design-thinking-kfc-innovation) ## [Design Thinking Design Thinking in Action: Building a Low-Cost Incubator](https://blog.experiencepoint.com/2010/02/16/design-thinking-in-action-embrace-global/) ## [Change Management Why Your AI Adoption Strategy Is Failing](https://blog.experiencepoint.com/why-your-ai-adoption-strategy-is-failing) ## [Design Thinking 8 Stats That Prove Design Thinking Pays Off](https://blog.experiencepoint.com/8-stats-that-prove-design-thinking-pays-off) ## [Change New year, New Me: The Science Behind New Year's Resolutions](https://blog.experiencepoint.com/2022-new-year-new-me-why-new-years-resolutions-fail) ## [AI skills Stop Rolling Out AI. Start Handing It Over.](https://blog.experiencepoint.com/stop-rolling-out-ai-start-handing-it-over) ## [Design Thinking Lay’s Redesigns Packaging After 12 Years Using Design Thinking](https://blog.experiencepoint.com/design-thinking-lays-chips-redesign) [Previous](https://blog.experiencepoint.com/2009/05/01/a-complaint-is-a-gift-i-hope-im-not-that-gift-worthy#carouselPopularPosts) [Next](https://blog.experiencepoint.com/2009/05/01/a-complaint-is-a-gift-i-hope-im-not-that-gift-worthy#carouselPopularPosts) - [Privacy Policy](https://www.experiencepoint.com/privacy-policy/) - [Accessibility Standards](https://www.experiencepoint.com/accessibility-standards/) ## Subscribe to our newsletter © ExperiencePoint Inc. All Rights Reserved.