The BIGG Successs Show
5 Steps to Make an Unhappy Customer Happy Again
Tips for dealing with an upset customer. Find a written summary of today's show on our site at BIGGSUCCESS.COM.
Welcome to The Big Success Show. Today we'll share five steps to make an unhappy customer happy again. The Big Success Show with George and Mary Lynn. I think we're all familiar with the rules when it comes to customers. Boy this is something that you know I talk to my employees about over and over and over again because it's so important. The three rules are number one the customer is always right. Hey the golden rule. We're all familiar with that. Rule number two if the customer is ever wrong reread rule number one because you've missed something the first go around right but the thing is those two are usually sufficient. But occasionally rule number three comes into play. The customer may not always be reasonable. And the emphasis there is you can't always control whether or not a customer will get upset. Sometimes the customer is unhappy and you actually didn't do anything wrong but you still have to deal with you still have to try to make that customer happy again. There are some customers who are always trying to get something free and so they find something wrong with your service. But we do have five steps to deal with an upset customer. And number one let the customer vent. Before you can attempt to resolve the situation you have to understand it. As Stephen Covey says seek first to understand. So you want to find out exactly what it is that's troubling this customer. Step number two is to listen attentively. Now this is really part of step number one isn't it? It is. It was so important that we felt that it bears special emphasis. Pay attention to what your customer is saying and isn't saying. What their body language is saying. What their voice is saying. And find out what exactly are his or her specific objections. You've got to be a detective and investigate. Number three restate the complaint or complaints. You're listening attentively right so wait until here she is completely unloaded. And then repeat back to your customer the complaints that they've registered. Yeah you may say something like please let me make sure I completely understand your concerns. And then restate their concerns to them in your own words and get their agreement that that is what they are complaining about. Coming up our two final steps to dealing with an unhappy customer. Today we're talking about how to make an unhappy customer happy again. Happy days are here again. Yeah that's what I was just thinking that. All right we've gone through three steps so far. Now we want to hit the final two. The fourth step assure them. Now this doesn't necessarily mean you agree with them. It just lets them know that you recognize how they feel and there is a big difference. You may say things like I can understand why you might feel that way or I can see your point or I can appreciate that. Or listen dipstick. No not that. No that's not gonna make them happy. Well step number five is then find out what they want. And this is a lesson I was very lucky to learn fairly early in my business career. Everything's led up to this point. Ask the customer a simple question. What would you like me to do? That's such a powerful question because if you've handled yourself correctly up to this point you're gonna find that they'll usually ask for less than you would expect. And if so you can solve that problem right now. And that's the secret Maryland is I usually ask for less than you would offer if you don't ask that question that's why it's so important. And if they ask for something that is more than you would offer then offer them reasonable options to try to resolve the issue. Let them decide how they can be happy again. Now it's gonna be pretty rare when you can't find a solution that makes both of you happy. And there are positives that can come from having a customer complaint. There is an opportunity to learn. Yeah and you know Marilyn one of the things we always did. Example my carpet cleaning business one customer I remember was just completely upset because the furniture was like an eighth of an inch off in her living room. But I told my employees hey this is an opportunity for us to learn because if we can make a person like this happy we'll make all of our customers very happy. So what we started doing was we took that opportunity and said okay now before we leave the house we're gonna ask the customer to come into the room and make sure that every but thing is put back exactly where they want it. And we started thrilling customers with that simple little change in process. And also keep in mind if your customer doesn't complain they might just take their business elsewhere. Well and the interesting thing Marilyn is evidence shows that customers who've had their problems resolved to their satisfaction produce three times the revenue of a customer who hasn't had a problem. And to top it all off they actually are also much more likely to recommend you to their friends and family. Word of mouth baby that's right. You can get a written summary of today's show on our site at Big Success that's big with 2g success.com and you can also sign up for our free big success weekly to get the tips and tools you need to be a big success. Next time we'll talk about the thing you have to do before you start training your employees. And until then here's to your big success. The big success show at BIGG success.com. [Music] [BLANK_AUDIO]