Every professional services firm will, at some point, face a client complaint. Whether it’s about a missed deadline, a misunderstanding, or a service that didn’t quite meet expectations, complaints are an inevitable part of doing business in a client-serving world.
Popular culture tends to frame complaints in a negative way. But at Beaton, we have an alternative view. Our research shows professional services firms looking to stay ahead of the competition should seek out – rather than avoid – handling client complaints.
Instances of negative feedback are powerful opportunities. They’re windows into what your clients truly value, expect, and experience. And when handled well, they can strengthen relationships, build trust, and even set your firm apart from the competition.
Top-performing firms don’t avoid complaints – they embrace them, respond quickly, and use that feedback to evolve. The real question is not if you will receive complaints, but how your firm is ready to respond when it does.
Complaints: A hidden opportunity
Handling client complaints well can be a springboard for client loyalty and a catalyst for improvement.
Beaton’s research consistently finds that a firm’s ability to respond to complaints is one of the strongest predictors of client satisfaction, loyalty, and referral intent. Our report on the State of Client Experience in Professional Services found firms with the best client experience (CX) gather feedback from their clients regularly and empower internal teams to act swiftly on the feedback.
“A complaint is actually a gift if you respond in the right way. Because the client is taking the time and effort to tell you something that went wrong, and you can fix it,” explains Paul Hugh-Jones, partner at Beaton.
Consider the lessons shared by Colin Rule, a pioneer in online dispute resolution, using the example of eBay’s online dispute resolution process. When eBay made it easier for users to lodge complaints via its platform, two surprising things happened:
- Complaint volume increased.
- Business activity on the platform grew.
Even customers who “lost” their disputes were more likely to continue using eBay than before they filed the complaint. Why? Because the process of resolving the complaint, quickly and fairly, made the customers feel heard and built trust.
This backs up Professor Tom Tyler’s procedural justice theory: people care more about the fairness of the process than the outcome itself. Clients of professional services firms are the same. They want to know that if something goes wrong, they’ll be treated fairly and respectfully.
For professional services firms, this insight underscores the importance of capturing complaints early and resolving them efficiently and equitably. Providing negative feedback should be a simple and easy process for clients and can help the firm step in to resolve issues before the client even considers leaving. A well-handled complaint doesn’t just save a relationship: it strengthens it.
“How firms handle a complaint tells you everything about their culture. Do they genuinely care about the client, or are they just protecting themselves?” adds Paul Hugh-Jones.
Beaton partner Paul Hugh-Jones explains how handling client complaints well can lead to greater loyalty and referrals.
Importance of handling client complaints
The problem with unresolved complaints is they rarely just disappear. They fester. Negative feedback, if left unaddressed, can quickly damage a firm’s reputation, impacting both client trust and future business opportunities.
The worst thing that can happen is not the complaint. The worst thing is silence. Because it means the client is walking away, and you don’t even know why. Every complaint is a reputational moment. The client is deciding whether they can trust you again, and whether they’ll tell others about the experience.
Beaton Benchmarks research has found that up to 30 per cent of clients across Australian and New Zealand professional services firms are dissatisfied with their experience – rating their overall service a 5 or less out of 10. This is a major warning signal for firms: clients are unhappy and if they’re not complaining to you, they are likely telling others.
Clients with nowhere obvious to complain may instead begin telling their friends and colleagues about their negative experience. In professional services, that kind of reputation damage spreads fast. Even in sectors like commercial law, engineering or accounting, where clients may not need repeat services weekly, word-of-mouth is still the currency of growth.
In architecture, as much as 90 per cent of annual income relies on repeat clients and recommendations for some firms. Findings reported in the Royal Institute of British Architects Journal, shows clients and prospects who are asked for feedback feel more satisfied at the end of a project. Clients that are asked for feedback rate their architects higher than those who do not follow up.
So, addressing concerns promptly not only mitigates potential damage but also enhances a firm’s credibility and trustworthiness. Taking complaints seriously and acting on them signals professionalism, empathy, and reliability. It also builds what we call “relationship equity” – the goodwill clients feel when they know your firm listens and acts on their concerns.
Complaint handling best practices
No firm loves receiving complaints. But in our research the firms that thrive are the ones that welcome feedback – both positive and negative – as a tool for growth.
Here are four ways top firms turn complaint handling into a value driver:
1. Make it easy to share feedback
Whether it’s an online form, post-project survey, or a casual check-in, create accessible channels for clients to swiftly voice their concerns. Clients should never struggle to give you feedback.
2. Act swiftly
Speed signals care. Even if the issue takes time to resolve, immediate acknowledgement of a complaint shows clients you’re taking it seriously. Paul Hugh-Jones advises picking up the phone immediately to acknowledge the complaint and apologise:
Sometimes the most powerful thing you can do is pick up the phone, say ‘I’m sorry,’ and mean it. A quick, genuine apology does more for trust than any polished email ever will.
3. Say ‘sorry’, find a resolution
Be transparent, apologise directly and work towards finding a way to resolve the issue. Even if you can’t deliver the outcome the client hoped for, involving the client in a resolution process goes a long way in preserving trust.
“Human beings will seek compromise through conversation, and even more so face to face. Small issues can balloon over email, but a proper discussion helps resolve them,” says Hugh-Jones.
4. Learn and adapt
Every complaint is a valuable data point. Use the feedback to identify issues and make necessary improvements.
“The speed of response is critical. Clients want to feel heard straight away. Even if you don’t have a solution yet, they want to know you’re taking it seriously,” advises Hugh-Jones.
Turning complaints into opportunities
When you reframe complaints to treat them as a valuable input for firm growth, they can help you build a better, smarter, and more client-aligned business.
As Paul Hugh-Jones puts it:
“A complaint is the client giving you free consulting on what you need to improve. You’d be mad not to listen to it.
“If you handle a complaint well, the client will often be more loyal than if nothing had gone wrong in the first place. Because they’ve seen you step up when it mattered.”
Here’s how to turn negative feedback into positive change:
1. Analyse trends
One-off complaints might be noise or isolated events. But multiple complaints pointing to the same issue? That’s a signal.
Beaton research shows top-performing firms actively track and analyse complaints to uncover systemic issues. Whether it’s delays, unclear scope, or poor communication, these firms know immediately when a client is complaining. Real-time NPS tracking and survey tools such as Beaton Debrief can help you track and monitor trends as they develop.
Whatever tool you decide to use, the immediacy of notification and the speed with which you act is critical to ensure a positive outcome.
2. Implement improvements
Once you know where the issues are, fix them. If clients are unhappy with timelines, maybe it’s time to reassess resourcing. If communication is the problem, invest in staff training or assign clearer points of contact.
This feedback-improvement loop has a direct, measurable impact on firms that we work with. Among firms with the best CX in our research, 84 per cent agreed client feedback was used to make strategic choices. As many as 85 per cent of respondents in those top firms also felt empowered to act on feedback, compared to 61 per cent in developing firms.
Feedback is only powerful when it leads to visible change.
3. Showcase responsiveness
After you’ve acted on the feedback, let clients know directly that they’ve been heard. You might say something like, “Thanks to your feedback, we’ve introduced new client onboarding steps to clarify timelines and deliverables upfront.”
This kind of transparency not only reassures the client who gave feedback, it builds trust with your whole client base. It shows your firm listens, learns, and evolves. In our research into the CX of top-performing firms, 80 per cent of those top firms close the loop on feedback by actioning it and then reporting the action back to clients. This compares to 58 per cent of firms with less developed CX strategies.
Beyond individual situations, you should be widely sharing examples of how client input has driven positive changes within your firm. This could include publishing case studies, including testimonials in reports, or updating clients directly about improvements made in response to their concerns.
Handling client complaints swiftly and showcasing your response is key to turning negative feedback into a positive outcome.
Preventing client complaints
No firm can eliminate complaints entirely. But the best firms reduce their frequency and impact by embedding proactive service strategies. This involves shifting from reactive problem-solving to a more strategic approach that prioritises prevention and builds trust with clients from the start.
Here’s how:
1. Establish strong communication practices
- Set and maintain regular check-ins with clients to ensure they are kept up to date and satisfied with the progress of a project and/or your service.
- Proactively flag delays, variations or challenges in a project.
2. Tailor services to client needs
- Take time to understand each client’s context, unique goals, preferences and pain points.
- Steer away from the one-size-fits-all approach. Deliver relevant services and customised solutions for each client.
3. Deliver high-quality work consistently
- Invest in training and quality assurance to ensure your team meets or exceeds industry standards.
- Track team performance and check in with clients regularly to make sure individual service quality is meeting expectations.
4. Solicit feedback regularly
- Encourage clients to share their feedback throughout a project. Mid-project and post-project surveys through a program like Debrief, or feedback sessions help surface issues before they become full-blown complaints.
- Actively follow up to close the loop.
5. Have a transparent issue resolution process
- Make your complaints process clear and accessible.
- Train staff to respond with empathy and urgency.
6. Support staff with the right skills and tools
- Soft skills are essential. Make sure your staff feel confident to handle sensitive issues or complaints, and if not, ensure training supports this.
- Equip your team with the right tech including CRMs and feedback tools to assist.
7. Focus on relationships, not transactions
- Implement key account management programs to nurture top clients and prioritise the most valuable accounts.
- Treat clients as partners rather than customers, building loyalty through long-term value, not one-off wins.
8. Invest in technology and tools
- Use project and communication tools to stay organised and keep clients updated.
- Deploy feedback tools to detect early dissatisfaction and respond fast.
9. Deliver consistent quality
- Systematically review service delivery and improve your processes to ensure high standards.
- Align team behaviour with client expectations.
Seeking regular feedback through a client survey tool like Beaton Debrief can prevent negative issues from festering and escalating.
Seek feedback before complaints happen
The most effective way to reduce complaints? Catch issues before they escalate.
“The smartest firms don’t wait for complaints – they’re constantly seeking feedback so they can course-correct before a client ever feels the need to complain,” says Hugh-Jones.
Beaton research shows firms who engage clients mid-project (rather than waiting until the end) outperform their peers on loyalty and satisfaction. These regular feedback loops create a sense of partnership. Clients feel involved, heard, and valued. They trust your firm more, and that’s a powerful combination.
With tools like structured surveys, automated email prompts, or post-meeting feedback forms, collecting insights can be simple and scalable.
Debrief: A smarter tool for managing complaints
Beaton Debrief is a purpose-built feedback and complaints management system tailored forprofessional services. It’s especially helpful for firms that don’t have the time or resources to manage their own end-to-end feedback programs.
Debrief does three things exceptionally well:
- Captures real-time client sentiment
So you can prevent clients’ dissatisfaction from becoming a reason to leave your firm. - Includes action management workflows
Assign complaints, track responses, and hold teams accountable for follow-through. - Identifies trends and root causes
Over time, you’ll spot common friction points and opportunities to improve at scale.
Firms using Debrief report higher client satisfaction, better service consistency, and stronger reputations. Read our case studies to see real examples of this in action.
Conclusion: From a risk to reward
To conclude, client complaints aren’t something to fear. They’re powerful opportunities – sometimes uncomfortable ones – to become the firm more clients really want to work with.
Handled well, complaints can be the moments that turn frustrated clients into your most loyal advocates.
Regular client feedback at your fingertips
Use our platform, Beaton Debrief, to collect client feedback and act on it in real-time with our interactive dashboard. Sign up for a free trial today.
