Dealing with customer complaints
Dealing with customer complaints is part of doing business. Handle them correctly and you look like a hero. Handle them badly, and there’s a good chance the customer is out the door and on the phone (or worse yet – the Internet) telling everyone they know about what a terrible business you run.
In his book, ‘How To Win Customers And Keep Them For Life’, Michael LeBoeuf cites some powerful statistics…
· 96% of people who experience a problem with a small ticket item or service, do not complain.
· This means that for every person who complains, 24 feel the same but do not say anything.
· 91% of those people who do not complain, do not do business with that company again.
When someone complains, they are giving you a gift – a chance to make what’s wrong, right.
Here are four steps to help turn almost any customer complaint into a positive experience.
Step One: Say, “Thank you.”
By thanking them for bringing the problem to your attention you are showing your willingness to listen. You’re also removing a lot of the anxiety people feel when they have a complaint. They’re probably prepared for a confrontation. A genuine, “Thank you for letting us know!” sets a better tone.
Even if you disagree with your customer, you can still be grateful that they told you about the problem. Remember, their complaint is a gift. Treat it like one.
They may be saying, “The color is wrong,” when they mean, “It makes me look fat.” Don’t judge or jump to conclusions. Continue the conversation until you think you’ve discovered the real reason.
Step Two: Ask questions and LISTEN.
Some people are hard to read, or may not be telling the truth. But do your best to understand their real problem.
Step Three: Be empathetic.
Acknowledge how they feel. Apologize if it’s appropriate. People can tell if you are trying really trying to understand, or are just pretending to understand.
Be on your customer’s side, even if you think they are the cause of the problem. If you get into an argument with your customer, you lose. You might win the argument, but you’ll lose the customer.
A simple and sincere, “What would you like me to do?” is the best way to handle it. Experience shows that if you give your customers the power to pick a solution they will almost always be reasonable. Of course, there may be an occasional idiot who makes an outrageous request, but deal with these situations on an individual basis.
As a rule, give your customers the benefit of the doubt. Don’t treat it as though they’re taking advantage of you – treat it as a gift they’re giving you!
One final statistic… “A customer that has their problem satisfactorily solved will provide 3 times the revenue as a customer that has never had a problem.”
Note:
It pays to empower your staff (at least your managers) to make things right. They may make an occasional mistake, but the benefit of amazing service far outweighs the occasional error that comes from inexperience.
Talk to you soon. ~Norma
Step Four: Solve the problem!