Managing Complaints
It is inevitable. Some people will not like your signs. Remember, no matter what you do in life, you will find detractors. Community signs are used by small businesses and large corporations to get their brand out. Do not miss this opportunity for fear of a few negative voices, rather be ready to respond with assertiveness, respect, and diligence.
What to do if a complaint call comes in?
1. Keep calm and thank the caller for the report.
An easy way to de-escalate the situation is to mention that you are a local business and you hired a local company to place the signs. Ask them where they are located and tell them that you specifically asked your crew not to place them around there. This will allow the person to see you a degree separate from the event and have a calmer conversation.
2. If the caller is a private individual, do not engage for too long.
Thank them for the call and ask them to either dispose of the sign(s) or if possible you can offer to pick them up. We recommend that most of the time you ask them to dispose of them, the cost of losing a few signs is lower than your time and potential further in-person complaints.
3. Take note of where the sign was located.
For those who complain about your signs, also inquire where they were found/placed for the purpose of optimization (you may want to avoid the area in the future).
4. Continue building your strategy.
Don’t let these events discourage you from your learning process, every event is one more data point that helps you build the proper strategy.
What if it is someone claiming to be a city official?
1.
Remain calm and remember that a city generally will have a process to issue fines for this type of advertising.
They cannot fine you the first time, more importantly, they cannot fine you unless they know where you are located.
2. Do not assume anyone who claims to be from the city is in fact who they say they are.
One easy way to identify an authority is the speed with which they ask for your name and business address. A city official will not ask you about your business, but will want specific details to be able to issue a letter if they think this is applicable.
3. De-escalate the situation
As always, ask for forgiveness and try to separate yourself from the situation to de-escalate the situation.
Managing Complaints Checklist
- Remain calm
- Thank the caller for the report
- Ask them if you can pick them up or let them know they can dispose them
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