Without customers, you can’t run a business, so maintaining good relationships with your customers is absolutely vital. Caring for them and building those relationships takes many different forms, including lead nurturing and prospect monitoring, but handling customer disputes is one of the most important.

Fortunately, there are CRMs available that can drastically improve your customer dispute resolutions in many different ways. Let’s take a closer look at why conflict resolution management is important. We will also review some of the resolutions the top CRMs can help you.

Importance of conflict resolution management

The importance of effective conflict resolution management cannot be overstressed. After all, if you don’t manage issues with your customers well, they will likely run to their only remaining recourse: leaving you a bad review. And once you have too many negative reviews piled up, 80% of them will turn away from your company automatically. You will, therefore, find it very difficult to find new customers.

On the other hand, when you handle customer complaints in a timely, considerate manner, you can help them feel like their business is valued, thereby increasing overall customer loyalty.

Unsatisfied customer talking to a customer representative

Customer service dispute management using CRM

CRM software, otherwise known as Customer Relationship Management software, can help you overcome customer dissatisfaction and disputes in a number of ways. Some of the most common benefits are its ability to integrate data, determine the right solutions, organizing information, and providing solid follow-up services.

1. Data integration services

CRM software helps businesses integrate data with their customer service options to provide a better all-around experience for their customers in several different ways. For example, when a client calls your company, CRM data integration services will automatically recognize the number. It will then pull all relevant information so that the customer service representative doesn’t need to waste valuable time finding it with a disgruntled customer on the line. 

Additionally, CRM can detect which data has been sent to customers before and prevent redundant emailing, which may play a key role in adding to customer frustration. Further, this data integration feature virtually ensures that the best person for the job in your department will be connected with the appropriate customer to resolve their issue.

2. Finding the right solutions

CRM software helps you determine the right solution to the customer’s problem and maintain active engagement with them. It does this by supplying information including purchase histories, previous disputes, and their resolution status, previous engagements, and options of never-before-tried solutions that may be applicable in the case of your current customer.

3. Organizing information

CRMs are incredibly helpful when it comes to organizing information. It can help you monitor various leads and clients who have engaged with your business in the past. It can help you monitor complaints in a couple of ways. First, it monitors customers who have filed complaints in the past. Second, it keeps you up-to-date about their complaint statuses and whether they’ve been taken care of. 

This is a key aid because responding to customer complaints as quickly as possible is vital to your customer dispute resolution programs. Responding quickly shows customers that you care about them, promoting more positive feelings about your brand.

4. Customer follow-ups

CRMs help you tie the entire customer resolution process with a bow by helping you complete the final necessary step: following up with customers. After you’ve had a complaint from a customer and resolved it, you need to make sure that their last interaction with your company leaves a positive impression. One of the best ways to do that is by having follow-up calls to ensure all resolutions have been successfully made and to confirm that your customers are once again satisfied with your services.

Customer service representative using resolving disputes using CRM

Conflict resolution strategies

There can be many different ways to resolve conflict with customers, and not all methods work for every customer. Nevertheless, taking time to learn how to manage these resolutions and teach your team how to resolve them effectively is a key practice. Make sure you consider your customer’s complaints and what needs to happen for them to enjoy your service once again as you move forward with resolution strategies.

Let’s take a minute to look at a few good practices that will help with most customer complaints you will face:

  • Respond fast: When you respond quickly to customers, they feel like their problems have been heard and will be much more likely to work with you to resolve the issue than not.
  • Listen intently: Pay attention to what your customers are saying. Don’t constantly ask them to repeat themselves. Contribute to the conversation in a way that lets them know you’re invested in their concern.
  • Ask questions: One of the best ways to show customers you’re paying attention and working to resolve their problem is by asking questions. Get them to explain why they are unhappy and not satisfied with the product or service. Ask specific questions that will allow you to understand more about the problem in order to help them best.
  • Recap the problem: Once you’ve established the problem, recap the issue to let the customer know they’ve been heard. Ensure them that you have all the information you need to move forward with resolving the issue. Sometimes, customers will remember certain vital information that they may not have recalled before during these recaps.
  • Reassure they’re fully understood: Customers want to know that you care about their issues. They want their complaints to be understood, so reassure them that you do. They will be significantly happier with your service and will be much more likely to work with your company again in the future.
  • Offer solution (or connect to the right person): Once every other step has been taken and you have all the information you could possibly need, offer customers a solution to their problem or connect them with the person who can help them best.

Invest in CRM dispute resolution software

CRM software has many benefits, and dispute resolution service is one of its best advantages. It can do wonders for improving your customer relationships, retention, and loyalty.

For more information about our insurance customer relationship management software and how it can make a difference for your business, contact Better Agency today.