As much as you’d like to hope that no one will ever be unhappy with your product or service, you’re almost guaranteed to encounter at least a few customers who are less than fully satisfied. Where there are customers, there are complaints.
As consumers increasingly air their grievances about brands on social media, the focus has turned to the way those brands respond to customer complaints, especially in a public forum. Knowing what to do in this situation makes all the difference when it comes to re-earning a customer’s business and what he or she tells others about your company.
Great service is about getting your customers to trust you and count on a consistent experience, but that doesn’t mean you’re always going to be perfect. In a crisis, you can elevate your stature with how well you handle the situation. A negative experience can be the best time to show your value.
Great service has to come from the top. Lower level employees aren’t going to be inspired and motivated unless they see their leader providing exceptional service.
No matter which person on your team is responsible for handling customer relations, it’s imperative that you embody excellent service as the head of the company as well.
If faced with negative customer experience follow these steps to resolve the issue and regain customer’s trust.
Acknowledging the problem – Customer is always right classic customer service cliché. While it may in fact, turn out to be a misunderstanding, the worst thing you can do is dismiss a customer who tells you he or she had a problem with your business.
Apologizing for it – Once you’ve acknowledged the customer’s issue, apologize for it and ask what you can do to help. Gather the facts about the situation and determine a course of action from there.
Taking action – Saying you’re going to fix a problem is one thing, actually doing it is another. Make sure you honor your commitment to take care of the customer’s complaint. If you can’t correct the problem, offer a coupon or voucher as a way to ask the customer for another chance.
Follow up – When you’ve done what you promised to do, follow up with the customer to make sure that your solution was satisfactory.
