Most great customer service training will often provide very similar instructions and skill set development for dealing with unhappy customers such as:
- listen to the customer without interruption
- the ability to empathize
- to validate their experience
- to apologize if needed
- take responsibility
- agree on a solution
They are great foundational principles that every good customer service rep should have in their skill set. Having these skills is essential to customer service but it does not always resolve or diffuse an angry customer. There is an important part of turning a negative experience for the customer into a positive one that most people & customer service educational training overlooks. The key piece missing from excellent customer service is to be able to ease the customer’s inconvenience.
For many customer service reps, they’ve listened to, empathized with, apologized to, taken responsibility for, and given their customer a solution to the problem, yet the customer remains angry and unhappy? How is that possible? Well, it comes down to the fact that the customer is still upset. Why? Simple, you did not ease the inconvenience they have experienced. The problem is STILL a problem in your customer’s mind even when they have been given resolution to the reason for their complaint. They have been inconvenienced. They are having to talk to you about something that is wrong.
To successfully turn unhappy customers into happy customers, while listening to them, you must be aware of their words, their emotions and assess what inconvenience the problem is causing your customer. Will the problem with the product cause the customer any inconvenience? Will the solution cause the customer any inconvenience or will it provide satisfaction?
Try to create a solution that will both wow the customer and be fiscally responsible. For example, if I order a medium-rare fillet mignon steak, but am served a well done steak, the biggest wow is to immediately cook a new steak, but also comp my meal and offer dessert for free because that’s what does the most to ease the inconvenience in that moment for me personally having to wait another 15 to 20 minutes. But be reasonable: Offering me a $160 bottle of wine for a $40 steak doesn’t make financial sense, no matter how much it wows me.
So pay attention to how you can go the extra mile, within the means of what is available to do for the customer by your company, when you have a customer that needs a little more “care”.
The best part about being able to ease a customer’s mind about the inconvenience caused, is that you look like a hero to the customer. They are thankful for having had you as their customer service representative taking care of them. Truly serving their needs.
