No business is perfect – things go wrong and everyone makes mistakes. The important thing is to put it right and learn from it.
So, when something does go wrong and you have an upset customer to deal with, what do you do?
First, you need to apologise – even though it may not be your fault, you should apologise that the customer has had to complain.
Second – listen to the customer. Don’t interrupt, but ask what questions you need to so you can fully understand the impact it has had on them (this is key).
Third – suggest a solution. Obviously this will vary depending on the circumstances, but there is one key principle – the solution should put the customer in the position that they would have been in if nothing had gone wrong.
Fourth – make sure you do all the work to put things right – don’t ask the customer to do anything.
Fifth – keep a close eye on what happens next, especially if you are relying on others to deliver the solution – otherwise you can generate more complaints.
Sixth – make sure that the customer is now happy.
As an example, my car went in for a service the other week. When I picked it up, I noticed a long scratch that hadn’t been there before so asked to see the manager. He apologised, immediately offered to put it right and arranged for someone to call me the next day. After 3 days without a call, I phoned and left a message. Still no call, so I phoned again, got through to the manager and explained that I wasn’t happy. After further apologies I got my car booked in. When I arrived at the garage the manager came to greet me, sat me down and said the service person (who had failed to phone me), would be with me immediately.
5 minutes later they came out, apologised for not calling me, and showed me to a courtesy car – much smaller and more basic than my car. They then left me and I sat for 5 minutes trying to adjust the seat and work out how to start it!
Small thing perhaps, but I don’t think I’ll be getting my car serviced by them again!
The final thing you should do is look at what happened and see what you can learn from it – then make changes. Here is an example of how a shopkeeper may have failed to explain exactly how their product should be used!
Nigel Greenwood
We've improved lead to sale conversion by up to 200%, improved customer retention by up to 80%, reduced complaints by 50% and increased profits by up to 30%, all with small, simple changes that can be delivered immediately.
We also help businesses to grow rapidly through regular customer feedback, analysis and recommendations.
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