One of any business’ main goals should always be to keep the customer as happy as possible. Of course, no matter how hard you try to do just that, there will always be occasions when you fail to deliver. Every business goes through this from time to time, and one of the main things is to ensure that you minimize the damage. You can do this by fixing the problem in the best way possible, keeping your customer as happy as you can, and finding ways to make up fro the initial transgression. Let’s take a look in a little more detail at some of the essential steps to take when you have disappointed a customer.
Apologize
For many customers, this first step is actually the most important part of all. There are very few customers who would accept a fixed solution without the apology also attached to it, so you should make sure that you get this step right first and foremost. It’s important to note too that it should be the very first thing that you do, as it helps to nullify any further damage which might be caused. You should also remember that the apology needs to be in line with the severity of the transgression. So a more serious incident needs a larger apology, perhaps even a public one.
Fix
Of course, ultimately what needs to happen – and what your customer will be looking for – is for the problem to come to some kind of a solution. What this solution needs to be depends hugely on what the problem itself is, and you need to make sure that you are providing the right fix for each situation. A good rule of thumb is to ensure that you check with the customer before finalizing the act, just to make sure that they are happy with whatever you are doing to fix it. If they are, then you can continue. If not, it’s back to the drawing board.
Protect
The truth is, this situation is not just about appeasing the customer – although that should be most of it. You also need to think about yourself, and your business, and work towards limiting the damage the situation might have caused for you on an entrepreneurial level. It helps to prepare for such occurrences with the likes of errors and omissions insurance, as that way you can at least keep your business from tanking altogether. Make sure you don’t allow the situation to develop so that your brand is overly affected.
Learn
Ultimately, you need to be able to learn from the experience, so that you can do better in future. It’s a good idea, even if it seems painful, to ask the affronted customer for feedback on how you dealt with the problem at hand. You can use this to further improve your service, and hopefully avoid the original miscalculation occurring again in the first place. This way, you can watch your business grow and grow and keep as many customers happy as possible.
