Even with the best of intentions, sometimes things go wrong. How you handle that incident will determine whether your customer will remain loyal or if they will look elsewhere for their future needs.
If you screw up, fix it fast.
Tell the truth and tell the customer fast.
There are five things a customer wants in these situations.
- Apologize. Saying I’m sorry doesn’t equal guilt. It does have to be sincere. If they are complaining, wait and hear them out before you apologize. Be quiet until they are through.
- Make sure they don’t feel like you are annoyed by them. It’s your job to make sure the customer knows they are valued.
- The customer never wants to feel like it’s their fault or that they are stupid.
- There needs to be a fair fix. Keep in mind it’s usually cheaper than losing the customer totally.
- They want atonement. That you will do your best from here forward not to repeat the problem.
