Like this article? PLEASE +1 it!

What is the best thing your customers can do for you?

Written by: Richard Mulvey

Article Overview: Few companies understand how important complaints are. We don't like to get them and often handle them badly. There is a better way. Complaints are good things and, if they are handled quickly, will almost guarantee that the customer comes back.

Free Download - Do you sell products or dreams By Richard Mulvey

What is the best thing your customers can do for you?

What is the best thing your customers can do for you?

This is an interesting question and one that will get a number of different responses when asked of any group of sales people.

“Come back over and over again”, or “Recommend you to a friend”, or “Pay on time”. In fact statically the best thing your customer can do for you is:

Complain!

Let me explain.

96% of dissatisfied customers do not complain, they just do not come back. Of the 4% who are prepared to complain, between 50% and 74% will return if you solve their problem for them in a reasonable amount of time but.... If you solve their problem straight away 97% of them will come back.

What these figures mean is that a when a customer complains this is an opportunity to almost guarantee that they will come back to your business if your solve their problem straight away.

The psychology for this is very simple. Customers do not expect you to get it right all the time. We are all human and we make mistakes. The real issue with a customer is not whether you make a mistake or not, it is whether you fix it straight away. If you are able to do that then the customer will be confident to come back to your business knowing that when problems occur in the future they will be solved straight away.

How do you handle complaints in your business?

In most businesses this is a problem because they do not have systems set up to handle complaints straight away, thereby creating further problems. When you are looking at your company and the way you handle complaints consider the following:

1. The sun never sets on a customer complaint

When a customer rings in with a problem make sure that the solution is communicated to the customer if not immediately, then before the end of the day. A minor problem one day can develop into a major issue in the mind of the customer if he has to go home without a solution.

2. The person who takes the call is responsible for the complaint

The customer does not want to have to tell 20 people the same story. The first person the customer tells the complaint to is now responsible. They may not have caused the problem in the first place and they may not be able to fix it but they tell the customer to leave it with them and they will find the right people to solve the problem.

3. Keep the customer fully informed

You may be working like a beaver in the background solving the problem but if you do not tell the customer what is happening he will believe that nothing is happening. As soon as the solution is identified, ring the customer back and tell them how the problem will be solved.

4. Listen carefully to the customer

Often when a customer is irate he just wants someone to listen. If you are able to listen carefully and demonstrate that you have listened he will be much less irate and ready to listen to your solution.

5. Empathise with your customer

A simple technique to defuse an irate customer is to empathise with him. If you say “You know Mr Customer, if I was in your position I would feel exactly the same as you do”. This will take the sting out of the conversation and let you start the process of fixing the problem.

6. Do not over promise and under deliver

This is a very common mistake with complaint handling. If you tell your customer you will get back to him in 5 minutes and it takes 20 you have now got an even more irate customer. If you tell him that you will get back to him in 30 minutes and it takes only 20, he will be much happier.

7. Make sure it is easy to complain in your company

If you never get complaints Watch Out! In many companies it is very difficult to complain and because of that the company gets very few complaints. Dissatisfied customers who can not complain will not come back and you will never know if they had a problem or not.

8. Get back to the customer

When the problem is solved the person who first took the complaint must get back to the customer to make sure he is now happy. This is usually a fun conversation to have if you have handled the complaint properly, but is also a final opportunity to make sure the customer is happy.

You must treat complaints as urgent opportunities to secure a customer for life and in that way the customers will come back over and over again.

Related Articles

Are you providing what people want or are you trying to provide what you think people need?

Enhance Your Value

There's a new breed out there

How to Write A Great Sales Letter by obeying these 4 basic rules

What Does it Mean When You Can't Reach Your Sales Team?

Home > Sales > Richard Mulvey > What is the best thing your customers can do for you

Article Tags:

About the Author: Richard Mulvey
RSS for Richard's articles - Visit Richard's website

Richard Mulvey is South Africa's leading sales author with 12 published books to his name. In addition he speaks to a variety of international groups on a regular basis and over the last 10 years has challenged over 100,000 business people to think differently about sales. Richard is a dynamic speaker and his controversial opinion will fire your enthusiasm leaving you with a desire to hear more and eager to get out there and do it. To make contact with Richard or to find out about his training DVD’s Books and training courses or go to www.business-skills.co.za.

Click here to visit Richard's website