5 Ways to Create Loyal Customers from Service Failures
1. Stay Calm & Apologize
Handling
angry customers can be tricky. Stay calm, listen to them, and apologize for the
inconvenience.
2.
Don’t Hide Behind Excuses
The last thing a disgruntled customer would like is being quoted procedures and protocols for a service failure. The fact is that you have an angry customer to deal with, and the only way to get her to listen is to empathize with her plight.
3.
Be Transparent
Explain
calmly why the service failure occurred and your plans to address the issue. Clear
communication and transparency can help convert frustrated customers into loyal
customers.
4.
Try to Resolve the Issue ASAP
When
you are aware of a service failure, it is your responsibility to immediately outline a solution and start working on it.
5.
Exceed Expectations
In
order to compensate for your service breakdown, try to come up with something
extra for the customer. For instance, offering free delivery or a discount
coupon on their next purchase, etc. can help.
Gestures like this
can help make them feel valued and look at the failure as an exception.
Bonus:
Follow-up
Once
you have fixed the issue, it is critical to follow-up and let the customer know
that you have taken care of the issue in the best possible way, and steps are
being taken to prevent it from happening in the future.