Free template
Free, ready-to-use customer complaint handling SOP template. Resolve complaints consistently, track patterns, and turn unhappy customers into advocates. Copy, customize, or create it in Folge with screenshots.
A Customer Complaint Handling Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) is a documented process that your support team follows to receive, investigate, resolve, and learn from customer complaints in a consistent and professional manner.
This template helps your team respond to complaints quickly, follow a structured resolution process, and track complaint patterns to prevent recurring issues. A well-executed complaint handling process can turn dissatisfied customers into loyal advocates.
Standardize how your agents handle complaints across all channels
Ensure every complaint gets proper attention and resolution regardless of who handles it
Onboard new support team members with clear procedures for difficult conversations
Reduce churn by handling product or service complaints systematically
Purpose: To provide a standardized, empathetic process for receiving, investigating, and resolving customer complaints
Scope: All customer-facing support staff handling complaints via email, phone, chat, or social media
Time Required: Initial response within 1 hour; full resolution within 24-72 hours depending on severity
Tools Needed: Help desk software (Zendesk, Freshdesk, Intercom), CRM, internal communication tools
Action:
Expected Outcome: Complaint logged with all details, severity assigned, and ticket created
Action:
⚠️ Tip: Never argue, deflect blame, or use scripted language that sounds robotic. Be genuine and specific in your response.
Expected Outcome: Customer has received a personalized, empathetic acknowledgment with a timeline
Action:
Expected Outcome: Root cause identified with one or more resolution options ready
Action:
Expected Outcome: Issue resolved, customer informed, and compensation applied if warranted
Action:
Expected Outcome: Customer confirms resolution, ticket documented and closed, satisfaction measured
Action:
Expected Outcome: Complaint patterns identified, reported to relevant teams, and SOP improved
Speed matters more than perfection. Acknowledge the complaint fast, even if you don't have a solution yet. A quick "we're looking into it" beats silence.
Acknowledge the customer's frustration before jumping to solutions. People want to feel heard. Use their name, reference their specific issue, and avoid generic scripts.
Never blame other departments, third-party vendors, or the customer. Take ownership and focus on what you can do to fix it, regardless of who caused the issue.
Don't wait for the customer to ask for updates. Send progress updates during investigation and follow up after resolution to confirm satisfaction.
Log every complaint, resolution, and outcome. Patterns in complaint data reveal systemic issues that, once fixed, prevent hundreds of future complaints.
Give agents authority to offer reasonable compensation without manager approval. Faster resolution and fewer escalations improve both customer and agent satisfaction.
Stop copying and pasting templates. Create interactive, screenshot-based SOPs that your team will actually use.
Initial acknowledgment should happen within 1 hour for high-priority complaints and within 4 hours for standard complaints. The response doesn't need to include a resolution — just confirmation that you've received the complaint and are working on it.
Match compensation to the severity. Minor inconveniences may only need a sincere apology and fix. Service disruptions warrant a service credit. Repeated issues or data loss may require a free month or significant discount. Define guidelines in advance so agents can act quickly without escalating every decision.
Stay calm and professional. Acknowledge their frustration without taking it personally. If the conversation becomes abusive, calmly explain that you want to help but need the conversation to remain respectful. Escalate to a manager if needed. Document the interaction thoroughly.
Use Folge to capture your screen as you walk through the complaint handling workflow in your help desk tool. Folge takes screenshots at each step — logging tickets, investigating issues, sending responses — and lets you annotate them with instructions. Export to PDF, Word, or HTML for your team.
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