Complaint Handling: The 3 R’s – Regret, Reason and Ready

Published on: 8th October 2019, Updated on: 19th December 2022

Written By:

Darren has been working in the world of soft skills training and coaching for over 20 years. He began his career as a buyer at big 4 UK supermarket and after 13 years he decided to leave to set-up Making Business Matter (MBM) because he wanted to help people to be the very best version of themselves. Connect with Darren on Linkedin and his Google Profile.

Learn About the 3R’s of Complaint Handling

Service failure or any other business failure for that matter is common. We are all fallible human beings after all. The trick is complaint handling: to acknowledge the mistake and attempt to resolve the situation early and amicably.

The 3R’s is a very simple tool that will help you handle complaints better. It will prevent a simple mistake or misunderstanding from escalating to a full-blown conflict. It allows you to quickly recover the situation, and all parties to go away happy.

When confronted with a complaint simply follow the three steps below:

Step 1: Regret

‘This steak is not medium-rare, as I had ordered’.

This is your cue for the first step: Regret.

The first step to any complaint handling is to recognise that something has gone wrong by acknowledging the wrongdoing. Even if you are not at fault. Saying sorry, in a meaningful and sincere manner, is crucial. Often this first step is enough to de-escalate the situation.

‘Sorry Sir’.

Step 2: Reason

Define your why written on a pink post-it note — Being able to explain your reasoning means you’re less defensive

Even if you feel criticised, it is really important to provide a reason for the mistake. Avoid being defensive. Make sure you are clear that the wrongdoing was not intentional or personal, so keep to the facts. Try to put yourself in the complainant’s shoes and step back from the situation.

Try to stay objective when handling the complaint.

‘The reason is that I wrote down your order incorrectly’.

Step 3: Remedy

Try to resolve the mistake there and then, if you can. Ask the complainant what they would like to happen and take responsibility to investigate, if required, and to provide feedback to them as soon as is practicable. Encourage colleagues to be proactive with their complaint handling too.

‘I will immediately get your a fresh steak cooked medium-rare. Would this be ok?’.

A Summary of the 3 R’s Complaint Handling Tool

Using the tool, the complete sentence looks like:

‘Sorry, Sir. The reason is that I wrote down your order incorrectly. I will immediately get your a fresh steak cooked medium-rare. Would this be ok?.’