The other day while at a rather popular restaurant in town my husband received a meal with bad fish in it. Being more reserved, he did not want to complain but I, of course, didn’t feel it was right to pay the substantial amount for a dish he was not going to eat so I spoke up.
The restaurant handled my complaint so well that my husband and I were so impressed that we decided we would both give the restaurant another shot and even order dessert that night. Even with serving a bad dish, the restaurant was able to turn a bad experience into a good experience, upsell us with dessert and make us return customers. Does this sound like magic? Well, it’s not really that difficult after all.
I have been in situations where managers and wait staff have been accusatory and rude when there is a problem. So what steps should you follow if you receive bad customer feedback?
- Listen to the customer– Make sure that you take the time to ask the customer how their service or experience was. Open the door to let customers freely express their opinions and receive constructive feedback and compliments openly.
- Reiterate the problem– It is imperative that you don’t try to cut your customer off. Let them talk, make them feel like they are being heard. Often times workers will get defensive or think they understand the problem before it has been fully explained. By taking a step back and letting your customer say what is on their mind you actually begin defusing the situation.
- Have a manager address the situation– People like to feel like their opinion matters. By taking the time to have a person on management come speak to the discontent client you are showing the customer that their opinions or problems are being taken seriously. By introducing a higher level of management to the situation, customers feel as though their feedback isn’t going in one ear and out the other but rather that the business values their feedback and will work to improve on their business model.
- Comp or discount the service– A little bit goes a long way. When car dealerships set their retail prices, they always add additional money for wiggle room on the what they would like to actually get as a bottom line. Why? Because people like to feel special and that they got a “deal”. If someone is unsatisfied with the service or goods they received you should always find a way give them back some value. If you sell prints online and a customer complains that their print wasn’t of good quality, rather than offer a refund, first offer to send them a new print. If you can send them a print that is satisfactory to them, they will probably remember the good customer service, the good final print and be more likely to be a repeat customer than if they were just refunded the money. For instance, if you are a hair stylist and a customer calls complaining about the cut they recently received, offer for the customer to come in and get it fixed by another stylist but on top of that offer for the customer to get a complimentary hydrating hair mask before the cut. This added bonus won’t cost your business much on the bottom line but will make the customer feel like you are really trying to make it up to them and keep their business.
- Invite them to come in again– After hearing a complaint and negotiating the above, tell the client that you hope to see them again. Invite them in so they don’t feel awkward about coming back after criticizing your business. Make sure they feel welcome- not like they are not wanted or that they were a hassle.
