I thought it was really interesting that Judy got just as upset about her $6.95 transaction as Bruce did about his $1500 transaction. When expectations are not met - no matter what the financial value of the transaction - damage is done. It turns out that customers expect you to do what you say you are going to do and they get upset when you don't.
It's alarming how often service is delivered badly. Long wait times calling in to contact centres and unprofessional face to face experiences are standard fare for Australian businesses. If you experience bad customer service my advice is to either adjust your expectations accordingly - let it go - or tell the companies management that you are about to take your business to a competitor and why. Preferably tell them in writing. Faxes and posted letters are far more effective than emails for this purpose.
If you have provided the poor customer experience and receive a complaint here are some guidelines on how to handle it.
Whatever the details of the issue it's important to listen to your customers story. Never talk while the upset customer is talking. That really winds them up. Keep quiet. When they have finished telling you their story empathise with them. Acknowledge the customers concerns. Then apologise for not meeting their expectations. Ask them what you can do to provide resolution and most importantly make the customer feel important. It's basic customer service and sales. In fact, if we put on our sales hat, overcoming issues the right way is an opportunity to deepen the relationship with your customer by building trust. Deal with the problem professionally and you build a bond that may even see that dissatisfied customer become an advocate of you and your business.
1 comments:
Steve Willis said..."hmmm true dat. Do you subscribe to seth godin's blog?
Liked yr tuna entry too. Food for thought indeed!"
February 18, 2009. 20:04 PM
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