Business
The Basics of How to Respond to Customer Complaints
Customers
are faced with a plethora of choices each and every day. Simple Google
searches for terms like “chiropractor” of “dentist” will likely result
in at least two practitioners to choose from that are near your home. In
fact, when I searched for a chiropractor near my home I found ten
within a two-mile radius.
Consumers are faced with so many choices that it’s
sometimes difficult to make a decision. They turn to friends, family,
co-workers, review sites and social media for advice. When this happens,
do you want to be the business that they recommend?
In today’s economy, competition is fierce. It’s never been
more important to differentiate your business from those of your
competitors. The best way to do this is by consistently wowing your
customers every time they interact with your brand.
Make a customer for life
About ten years ago I was in the market for a new dentist.
The dentist I visited was friendly, didn’t keep me waiting long and the
work he did was exceptional. We made small talk when he wasn’t drilling
out my cavity and for the most part I was indifferent as to whether or
not I would use him again. When my appointment was over, I checked out
with the receptionist and went on about my day.
I didn’t put much thought into the experience until the
dentist called me later the same day. He wanted to make sure that I was
pleased with the service and quality of the work and asked me if I was
feeling OK. His personal approach surprised me, but it made me feel like
he truly cared about his patients. Because of his personalized
approach, I made the decision to move my entire family over to his
practice.
Over the years he has continued to deliver a consistent
delightful experience. When something goes wrong with a treatment that
he’s performed (which is rare). He’ll meet me at his practice to fix it.
I don’t have to wait until the next business day. Occasionally he’ll
send email, cards or call to follow up with me. It’s not too much
effort, but it keeps him at the top of my list when someone asks for a
referral. He’s definitely earned my business for life.
The cost of not wowing your customers
Experts indicate that it can cost anywhere from five to
ten times more to acquire a new customer than it does to keep an
existing one. Small businesses must keep the long-term relationship in
mind if they want to maximize the value of each customer (and develop
their brands!). That means implementing efficient and effective
processes that resolve issues quickly and treat customers as unique
individuals.
Getting started with wow
Getting started with a Wow strategy is easy. There are seven steps you can take to get started:
1. Deliver on your promises
2. Go above and beyond
3. Respond to complaints
4. Make more deposits
5. Make an occasional withdrawal
6. Be consistent
7. Reward loyalty
Today we’re going to look at number three, responding to complaints.
Respond to complaints individually
One of the worst things you can do as a business is to let
a complaint go unresolved – if a complaint goes unaddressed or ignored,
the issue can spread
like wildfire on the internet. Even if you decide you don’t want to do
business with the customer, it’s still important to neutralize the
frustration so that the customer becomes indifferent rather than angry
or hateful.
As a small business, it can be difficult to respond to
every complaint or request for help. Sometimes things just fall through
the cracks. But a key component of differentiating yourself isn’t great
customer service – it’s exceptional customer service, so you’ll need a
streamlined, reusable process for keeping track of and responding to
customers who reach out with an issue.
Automated programs can
help with this, and if you happen to use Infusionsoft, you might want to
check out this month’s free Campaign of the Month, Contact Me Bubble Up, which helps your contacts easily ask for assistance when they need it and helps you organize your follow-up.
When responding to disappointed customers, remember the 3R Method: Respond, Remedy and Reinforce.
Respond
Listen to your customers and acknowledge the issue. They
are sharing their feelings with you and can often provide some much
needed insight. When responding on a social media platform it’s best to
apologize for the experience and ask that they contact your office for
resolution.
Remedy
Offer a solution to remedy the problem and if possible explain how you’ll keep the remedy in place for the future.
Reinforce
Reinforce their commitment to return by providing a coupon, gift certificate or hand written note.
Never take a complaint
personally, and always try to respond to the customer in a calm and
collected way. Respond individually and privately when possible. You
never want to get into a debate on the internet or in your office.
Beyond wow
Customers no longer put up with poor customer service,
inefficiency and indifference. They simply choose a different provider
for what they need, and oftentimes they’ll never tell you they’ve moved
on. Small businesses that want to do more than acquire new customers
need to implement a Wow strategy before it’s too late.
