Customer Service Gone
Awry: Strategies to Making It Right
by Andrea Waltz
The key thing to remember when the stress of the
holiday shopping season starts to wear on you is that it?s
probably wearing on everyone!
The best thing to do when a customer gets upset with
something is to agree, no matter how big or how small the
issue. No one has ever won an argument with a
customer, and you won?t be the first. Even if the
reason you?re getting their wrath is not your fault, the only
sure-fire strategy for winning is to smile, nod, and say
something like, ?I understand,? or ?I don?t blame you, I?d be
very upset if I had been waiting for a half an hour,
too.? This approach removes the customer?s power and
reduces their anger rather than fueling it, because not
only
are you not putting up a fight? you?re on their side!
Nine times out of ten, by the end of the sale, the
customer will be thanking you up and down for your terrific
service simply because you cared to listen.
During the holiday season in
particular the rule is, Win the argument and you?ll lose a
customer.
A few things to consider when dealing with a
dissatisfied customer or complaint?
Keep An Open Mind.
So if you are confronted with a customer?s complaint,
keep an open mind (could they actually be right?) Take the
constructive criticism, try to learn from it and try to use
it. Customers see your business through their unique
perspective: that of a customer. They may have insights into
things that you simply don?t.
Don?t Make
Excuses.
Think about it? customers don?t really care that you
are training 3 people, that your shipment arrived late and the
closing shift called in sick. It?s not their problem. All you
can say is, ?We don?t normally operate like this. I am sorry
that you were the one that had to experience this today.?
Ask, what can I do to make this right?
Find out what it is the customer would like you to do.
Sometimes, they just want to vent their frustration so that
you know what happened. They want to make you
aware. If this is the case, thank them for ?making you
aware of the issue.? As mentioned earlier, listening is often
the key to turning around a bad situation. If there is
something more to the problem, ask ?What can we do to make
this right for you?? Negotiate if you need to and do what you
can.
Appreciate the complaint and the customer.
The reality is most people that complain to you about
an issue actually care about your business. It seems
counterintuitive but it takes time and energy on the
customer?s part to raise a complaint. Others will simply walk
out and vow not to return. So this person really is more on
your side than not. Thank them for bringing the issue to your
attention.
Don?t let it ruin your day.
Okay so you got a complaint and it?s not exactly a day
at Disneyland is it? Do not let this one event define you,
your store or your day. Focus on yourself, your team and what
you want them to do and say to customers. Focus on the
operations and how you want those things to go.
Focusing on what you don?t want is negative thinking.
Have you ever focused on what you don?t want and just gotten
more of it? Have you noticed that when you?re walking with a
full cup and you tell yourself, ?don?t spill, don?t spill,
don?t spill? that you spill?
Focus on what you want to happen in your store and do
not focus on what you do not
want.
