Why brands should stop hiding from their customers

It might sound a little dramatic, but this is exactly how customers feel when they are ignored by brands. When they can’t get heard, they take their grievances to the public – Facebook, Instagram, and, worst of all, consumer complaint sites like Hellopeter. It’s their way of getting someone (anyone!) to listen. And yet, instead of fixing the real issue, most companies react with panic.

The wrong response: Damage control instead of real change

The knee-jerk reaction of many brands is to ring-fence a team, set up a ‘crisis management’ division, and throw more people at the problem – just to contain the embarrassment. They focus on stopping the bleeding rather than healing the wound. Instead of improving relationships with customers, they get irritated with them. Instead of truly listening, they just want to be appeased.

Let’s be honest: most companies are terrified of complaints. They go to great lengths to make it difficult for customers to even voice their concerns. They build walls – frustrating complaints processes, impossible-to-find email addresses, and legal jargon-laden ‘ombudsman’ policies designed to intimidate rather than engage.

The right response: Open your doors and listen

If you truly care about your brand, make it easy for customers to reach you. Publish your number, make your contact details visible, and – most importantly – have trained, emotionally intelligent people who can handle upset customers with grace and care. Complaints are not the enemy. Silence is. The ones who don’t complain to you are the ones telling everyone at the dinner table how badly you treated them.

Every single employee should know the brand promise by heart. And at the first sign of a customer feeling let down, they should have the skills and confidence to validate that customer’s feelings and solve the issue to the best of their ability. A brand that truly listens is a brand that builds loyalty.

A golden opportunity for brands

Here’s the secret: in a world where most companies get this so wrong, doing it right is a massive opportunity for differentiation. Imagine being the brand that actually listens, that puts a phone number back on the website, that doesn’t try to control the narrative by being inaccessible or forcing customers onto ‘preferred channels'.

Too many brands see artificial intelligence as the silver bullet, thinking it will allow them to serve customers at scale while slashing costs. And while I love AI and believe in its potential, I also see a huge opportunity for brands that choose to be human first. AI should be used smartly and strategically, to truly help customers, not just to boost profits while reducing human touch.

Open your doors. Open your arms. Make it easy for customers to talk to you. Be accessible, be kind, and they’ll keep coming back. And they’ll bring their friends.

Curious about how BrandLove can help you transform customer complaints into loyalty-building moments? Watch our free 40-minute webinar How to Repair Relationships with Unhappy Customers, and discover how to turn frustration into trust.

If you need support in refining your complaints journey or want to empower your team to handle customer concerns with confidence, let's connect! If this resonates with you and you're eager to master these skills, I’d love to help. Drop me an email at az.oc.evoldnarb@letnahc, and let’s take your customer experience to the next level.