Last week we shared a few
statistics about the impact of dealing with upset or angry customers.
Negative word-of-mouth advertising can be incredibly damaging. It’s your
reputation that’s at risk and this can have a huge impact on both existing and
potential customers.
How do poor customer
experiences impact your bottom line?
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The average customer who
has had a problem with an organization will tell nine to ten people about
it.
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Thirteen percent of the
people who have had a problem with an organization retell the experience to
more than 20 people.
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A customer who has had a
positive experience with an organization or has had a complaint resolved
positively will tell three to five people. To make up for just one negative
experience, it will take at least three or four positive customer service
experiences.
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Only 4% of unhappy
customers bother to complain. The remaining 96% never say a word! When
possible, they’ll just quietly go away and simply take their business
elsewhere.
The L.E.A.R.N. method
simplifies the process in dealing with upset customers. These steps not only
help to deal with upset customers but also help to then build loyalty with
them.
Listen
carefully. Active listening is a learned skill. It doesn’t come naturally to
most of us and it requires a lot of energy. If you are distracted then you
are not an active listener. You need to stop everything and give your
customer 100% of your attention.
Empathize
with the other’s concerns. You don’t need to agree with their comments,
but it’s critical that you let them know that you sincerely care about their
problem. One of the first ways to show that you care is to thank that person
for bringing the problem to your attention.
Apologize
sincerely! When said sincerely, an apology can remove as the majority of most
people’s anger. Beware though . . . if said insincerely, you will only fuel
their fire.
Resolve the
problem. Let your customer know that you are their ally, that you are on his
or her side and will do everything you can to help get the problem fixed. If
the situation is such that you must transfer this customer to another person,
make this transition smoother and less frustrating by explaining the problem
so that your customer does not have to tell the same story over again.
Now is the
time to take care of their problem or concern. When a problem is addressed
quickly, customer satisfaction and loyalty increase.
So the next time you are
asked to handle a situation in which a customer is angry or upset, remember
the acronym L.E.A.R.N. and follow each step through to the end.
Listening is one of the most
important steps in resolving customer conflict. Many of us can be poor
listeners – heavy workloads, short staffing and multi-tasking are some of the
obvious challenges.
Customer can tell if you are
pretending to listen. Build stronger customer and co-worker relationships by
using active listening skills. Recognize your own listening barriers and
strive to overcome these. Everyone will benefit – most of all, you!
One of
the most important aspects of any manager is their communication skill. Next
week we will feature tips on effective listening.
MEASURE-X
6227 North 15th Street, Phoenix, AZ 85014
888-644-5499
www.measure-x.com
The Customer Service Training Experts!
