Take a moment to slip on the shoes of an unhappy customer – would you take the time to tell the company that you feel is giving you a hard time how you feel and explain why? Would you do that 10 out of 10 times? One out of 10? Or, would you not even bother?
That’s what we thought. Unfortunately for many companies, customers won’t tell a brand how they really feel. Instead, they’ll go and find another company that does a better job of satisfying their needs. It’s as simple as that.
Now imagine that you are the company and it is your customer who is unhappy. What if the individual didn’t complain to you and just took his or her business elsewhere without giving you the chance to fix the problem? Not only would you lose the business, but you wouldn’t even know why. That’s exactly why a complaining customer should be considered a good thing.
Hearing about the problem not only means that the customer is loyal enough to give you more of his or her precious time, but it gives you the chance to fix it and save that customer’s business. In essence, a complaint is an opportunity.
Ninety-six percent of customers do not voice their concerns when they’re unhappy – they just leave. However, before they leave, they tell nine to 13 people about their bad experience; meanwhile, a decent slice of these customers (13 percent) will tell more than 20 people. Conversely, happy customers tell only four to six people about their good experience.
Turning that Frown Upside Down
You can save every relationship with a complaining customer, and the first step involves the call center software you implement. With the right tools at hand, service reps will know exactly what to say to shift that customer from ‘at risk of defection’ to ‘complete loyalty’.
The right call center software will be able to seamlessly and painlessly walk the agent step by step through ways he can both solve the problem and satisfy the customer, such as:
· Deleting fees
· Providing discounts
· Offering new service programs that better meet your customer’s needs
Today’s busy, on-the-go customers require this level of unprecedented service; if they can’t get it from you, they may defect and go to an organization that can. All of these things add up to provide a competitive edge. So when your customers complain, thank them for the opportunity to serve them. You’ll be glad you did.
