Usually I drop off the car and arrange for a ride back to work. But, I was promised it would take an hour, so I figured it would be easier to wait.
After 30 minutes they found me and indicated it would take longer than promised. They were running behind and had just started working on it. They apologized and offered me a soft drink and a snack.
They found me again in 45 minutes to let me know they were completing the job and it would not be long. They thoroughly went over the work that was done. I felt that my car was in good hands. A few minutes later, when I was paying, the service manager came up to me and apologized for the delay, offered me a free oil change the next time I come in, and sincerely thanked me for my business.
I was impressed. As the customer, here's what I took away from the situation:
• This company had high standards and liked to maintain them.
• The employees recognized that I had been inconvenienced and my time was important.
• The employees had a proactive mentality. They did not wait for me to inquire or complain.
• The company wanted me to return (and I will)!
Let's play this out a different way. Since it only took an extra 30 minutes, the repairman could have easily not kept me informed on the status of the repair. They could have hoped I wouldn't notice or complain. They certainly did not have to offer me a snack while I was waiting.
When the repair was done, they did not have to review the work with me. The oil change was a nice touch that will ensure I will return.
This example is about service recovery. The ability to take a potentially confrontational situation and turn it in into a positive one is critical. When a customer thinks he or she has been wronged, it is a great opportunity to win that customer over by making it right.
It starts with high standards as a company and by having a strong commitment to making certain your customers are happy. Leaders of your company must constantly demonstrate their commitment to customer loyalty. I have seen situations where managers are more the source of the problem rather than examples for excellence. In those situations, you don't wonder why the service is so poor. You just know you won't go back.
When a customer has been inconvenienced, your service recovery plan needs to start with an apology and a display of empathy. Often that is all the customer needs. For example, "Thanks for your patience. I am sorry for your delay," will work with most customers.
Every employee needs to get over the notion that they should not apologize for a situation they did not cause. To the customer, each employee represents the company. Empower your employees to take ownership of the situation and focus on the customer. Customers do not want excuses.
They trust you with their needs and want you to deliver. Sometimes you (your company) will fall short. Recognize the situation and correct it.
Studies consistently show that customers, whose service issues have been addressed to their satisfaction in a prompt and professional manner, become more loyal. You want to keep those customers. Conversely, another study from Business Digest indicated that 91 percent of the "silent" dissatisfied customers take their business elsewhere.
You work too hard to build your customer base, so don't let a service experience drive them away. Your competitors are eagerly waiting for that to happen.
A customer who complains is not a bad thing. A bad thing is a customer who has a complaint and does not tell you. Instead, they start doing business with someone else.
When a customer complains, take advantage of that opportunity to fix the issue. Even if you perceive the complaint to be trivial, the customer may not look at it that way.
In responding to a customer concern remember to do the following:
• Apologize.
• Empathize - demonstrate your recognition that he or she has been inconvenienced.
• Be sincere - people can tell if your apology is sincere. I am not suggesting you cry, but be sincere!
• Be timely - fix the situation before it gets worse. You do not want that customer telling others of a bad service experience.
• Check with the customer to make certain they are satisfied. This depends on the situation, but you want to confirm that what you propose will work for the customer.
• Focus on the solution and not the problem.
• Thank customers for being loyal and for their business.
Service recovery is an opportunity to make things right. Everyone in your company needs to recognize the importance of proactively making sure customers are happy and loyal.
Barry Himmel is a senior vice president for Signature Worldwide, a Dublin, Ohio-based company offering sales and customer service training, marketing and mystery shopping services for a variety of service-based industries. For more information, call (800) 398-0518 or visit www.signatureworldwide.com.