Part 2 – Field Guide
8 Steps to Turning Customer Complaints into Opportunities
Here are 8 steps you can take to capture customer loyalty after a mistake has been made:
1.) Take responsibility. Your customers and followers don’t want to hear you blame a supplier, manufacturer, or employee. They just want you to fix the problem.
2.) Listen. Then listen again. Use the magic phrase, “Is there anything else?” when hearing a customer complaint. Very often the complaint you hear is only the proverbial straw that breaks the camel’s back. Get to the real root of the dissatisfaction by probing for ALL of the complaints that customers might have.
3.) Make no excuses, and lose the phrase “company policy” from your vocabulary. Instead of saying your company policy won’t permit something, simply ask, “What can we do to make this right with you?” And be prepared to do whatever it takes to make them happy. If you have listened long and hard, most customers will demand less than you might expect.
4.) Apologize. Even if the mistake is not your fault, apologize for the inconvenience it has caused your customer.
5.) Call a staff meeting when things go wrong to discuss and design systems to prevent the same mistake from happening again. Make sure you praise your employees for handling the situation professionally.
6.) Be transparent and vulnerable. Customer complaints are like speeding tickets. You probably only get one for every 10 or 20 offenses that occurred. When you make a mistake, promote online and advertise the steps you have taken to keep your customers happy.
7.) Follow up and say thank you. Call every customer a few days after you’ve resolved the problem, thank them for their patience, and confirm that they are now happy.
8.) Break-even is not good enough. Just giving a customer their money back doesn’t compensate them for their time and the inconvenience the mistake has caused. Go the extra mile to create a raving fan.
