A doctor calls to complain. Or a pharmacist. Sometimes about a delivery, sometimes about a promise that was not kept, sometimes about the rep.
The fastest fix is to call them yourself. You are senior, you can decide things, and the problem goes away.
In my experience, it also takes something away. The customer learns that the way to get things done is to go above the rep. And the rep hears about it later, from someone else.
How I try to handle it instead:
Hear the rep first. Facts before feelings, and blame is not a step. Often the story is more complicated than the complaint.
Go together. The customer sees a team, not a replacement.
Listen, then agree one action. Acknowledge the problem honestly. Agree what will happen and by when. People calm down when something specific is going to happen.
Close it through the rep. The rep brings the answer back and checks later that it held.
One exception to the pace: if the complaint is about product quality or a possible side effect, it goes to the right team the same day. That is not a sales conversation.
Handled this way, a complaint can end with a stronger customer relationship and a more confident rep.
“Handle the complaint with the rep, and you repair two relationships.”
Lesson 10 of 16 in Step 3: The field day, with the full guide and a checklist for this week.