In an ideal world, every single customer that you work with would love your products and services. They would all rave about how amazing it was to work with your company and share it with the world. Unfortunately, this isn’t always the case, and chances are you're left to face dealing with dissatisfied customers on a regular basis for a variety of reasons that should be consciously addressed. That doesn’t mean that those types of experiences cannot be turned into a positive. In fact, some of the best customer service stories come from taking a negative situation and using it to better the customer experience. We’re sharing four lessons that you can learn from unhappy customers and how they can help you better your customer experience long term.
1. Go Out of Your Way to Make It Right
Have you ever heard the phrase “the customer is always right?” For your business, this definitely rings true. They have the ability to share their experience with others, so it’s important to address the issue in a timely manner. The White House Office of Consumer Affairs found that a dissatisfied customer will tell between 9-15 people about their experience. Around 13% of dissatisfied customers tell more than 20 people. This goes to show that most unhappy customers are looking for acknowledgment that they’ve had an unpleasant experience and want you to make it right. Take time to provide an apology and let them know exactly how you’re going to do to fix the situation. There will be times that a complaint is unwarranted; however, it’s important to do what you can to be empathetic with the customer regardless and do what you can to defuse the situation. Exceptional customer service will go a long way in dealing with unhappy customers.
2. Are You Delivering What You Promise
When you have several unhappy customers, it’s important to evaluate if you’re delivering a quality product or service and fulfilling the promise you made to your customers. The key is to establish trust with your customers so they will keep coming back. So take a hard look at your product or service whenever you have multiple customers complaining about the same thing. As a rule of thumb, it’s always best to underpromise and over-deliver. This will increase your list of happy customers, especially when you give them more than they were expecting when they started working with you.
3. Always Welcome Genuine Feedback
One of the best ways to gain the trust of customers is to ask for their genuine feedback. Although it can be tough to hear unfavorable comments, you should always welcome them in a controlled environment. It’s one of the best ways to grow and improve your business. Reach out regularly to your current customers to ask for their feedback and any concerns or recommendations that they may have. This shows that you are working to improve your business and genuinely value their feedback. At the same time, you’ll be able to identify areas of your business that you can improve on and take action quickly. By taking control of the narrative, you’ll provide a platform for customers to express their concerns without having it negatively affect the image of your business.
4. Constructive Criticisms Are Part of Doing Business
One of the most important lessons you can learn from dealing with unhappy customers is that every business faces criticism. When a person is not satisfied with their experience, it’s common for them to feel compelled to express it. All you can do is to be willing to listen and go above and beyond to provide top-quality customer service, so customers have a place to voice their concerns. According to the White House Office of Consumer Affairs, customers who get their issue resolved tell about 4-6 people about their experience. This goes to show that even constructive criticism can end of benefiting your business in the long run. The key is to make sure that your team is always informed of complaints that affect them so they can do their part to improve the customer service experience.
At Exact Data understand the importance of high-quality service and taking the time to genuinely listen to our customers. As an industry leader with an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau, we pride ourselves on maintaining high customer service for our clients.
