There are myths about customer service which people have grown to accept and taken them into the realm of the written-in-stone-facts. The truth is that those myths were catchphrases created by desperate advertisers on the verge of a deadline. One of said phrases, and probably the most famous one, is the always present “The Customer is Always Right.”
If you are new to the world of entrepreneurship and use that saying as a mantra, let me give you a huge piece of advice: according to Strategy Magazine’s Amy Day in her article “Debunking the myth: The customer is always right”, recent studies found that 83.8% of the people are aware that it is not true by any means, and by people, they meant customers that were surveyed. In other words: Customers know that the customer is NOT always right.
Where any entrepreneur must really pay attention is in letting your customers understand that they are not always right but in the best possible way. They have to place themselves in their customer’s shoes, and be very careful on connecting with the angry client and apologizing but without patronizing them. If I am not satisfied with a recently bought product, the last thing I want is for a stranger to make me feel dumb. We have to be aware that a person has a need (A) and we are one of the many solutions in the market (B). The basic premise is to let them go from point A to point B in the most effortless, painless and swiftest way possible. When the customer is not satisfied with the solution you offered to solve their needs but something else entirely, the employee must:
- Sympathize: Let the customer know that you know how they feel and understand why they are feeling that way. This action will set the tone for the rest of this potentially difficult conversation.
- Explain: Tell them one more time why your solution may be the best one in the market to “quench their thirst”. Try to be very clear and avoid any type of superlative talk about your product since exaggeration almost always leads to lying.
- Solve: Offer at least two possible solutions that you know will be suitable for the client and possible to your company without becoming a big loss. If I asked for a cheeseburger and I didn’t get the cheese slice, I will gladly receive that yellow gooey delicious dairy product which is exactly what was missing.
- Apologize: Let your customer know once again that you are sincerely sorry about said experience.
The customer is not always right but they are your customers nevertheless, and an angry patron will definitely never return. Make your clientele grow with those 4 simple steps, it’s amazing what great customer service will bring to your company.