Most of the times, immigration
and overseas education consultancies establish themselves with a view to
provide a solution to the client in his quest for finding the means to settle
or study abroad. Whenever a student, who is guided by the team of consultants
at an overseas education business finds admission to a coveted university or
gets accepted for student visa, then the entire team rejoices this happy news
as though it is their own personal victory. Very often consultants invest a lot
of time, effort as well as personal interest in the success of a student. Right
from understanding the student’s profile, to researching various universities
and courses in order to suggest the right fit, to making sure that the student
has all the necessary documents in place to ensure that the admission or visa
application process is not unduly delayed. The consultants take care of
everything. In such a scenario, if a student has to miss out on an opportunity
due to non -availability or delay in visa process, it is but natural that the
consultants will feel extremely sad. So, imagine the plight of the consultants
if the student happens to raise a complaint against the firm and the team of
consultants. Which has been the case recently at a company called Global Tree.
Consumer complaint, was raised by a student who, having through the efforts of
the consultants, obtained a seat in an Australian university, decided against
taking up the seat and asked for a full refund of the fees paid by her. Due to
circumstances that are beyond the reach of the OVERSEAS EDUCATION CONSULTANTS, there was a delay in the refund
process from the university, and this led to an escalation of sorts and a
police complaint was filed against the company
Though we cannot know for sure
whether it is justified for the GLOBAL TREE CONSUMER
COMPLAINT to be launched and the police to be involved. We do know that
companies can take a few steps to ensure that situation is not escalated to
this point
1. Make Sure the Consumer Knows What to Expect From the Beginning
Sometimes, marketing teams are so
keen on closing a sale, that they will promise the sun, the moon and the stars
to the potential customer. This can lead to a lot of problems down the line. It
is best to stick with the facts when it comes to soliciting a sale
2. When a Situation Arises Keep the Consumer Informed
Many times, customer care
representatives do not keep the consumer abreast of the latest situation,
especially where bad news or potentially bad news is involved. The consumer may
feel cheated in such a scenario, and the trust is broken
3. Be Patient When Talking To an Irate Customer
Many situations can be
de-escalated easily if the customer is appeased and the customer care
representative is able to talk in a cool and composed manner. You should never take the anger of a customer
personally and should do your best to assure him that you are doing your best
to resolve the issue
4. Trust in the Truth
It sometimes happens that,
despite best efforts, the customer is not convinced and wants to part ways. In
such a scenario it is best to carry on providing exemplary service to the
customers and trust that truth will ultimately prevail
5. Learn From the Incident
Every incident has the potential
for a lesson within it. Even in case of an unresolvable issue, there is a
lesson that can be learned. Maybe your company needs to have an honest look at
its policies or an overhaul of the service standards. Whatever it is you have a
chance to introspect and learn from the incident
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