As stated by Trudy Adams of Cleaners Supply. Trudy gave an outstanding seminar on Sunday, July 15th at the California Cleaners Association (CCA) Fabricare show.
The seminar was just one of the many exceptional educational opportunities available but her presentation really hit home! Many cleaners sent their staff and one could see the staff absorbing what was being said and nodding their heads in agreement as Trudy was speaking.
It is so true that you need to look at a complaint as a gift. How do you respond to complaints? Do you believe the customer is always right, or that you are right? I believe successful business owners balance the two concepts. However, sometimes we are too complacent in our businesses and we think our service is the best available. We have no reason to improve. A complaint can cause us to sit back and take a fresh look at our practices.
When a customer complains, it does not really matter if his complaint is justified. He thinks he is right. Ken Smith, author of “Pay Attention! I’m Your Customer,” puts it this way, “I would guess that for each bad egg out there, 999 of us are honest and truthful. I have always trained that we can either focus on serving and pleasing the 999 honest customers or we can try to catch the one exception and neglect the overwhelming majority of good customers. Yes, there are dishonest people, but don’t treat me like I am one unless I have given you a reason.”
Trudy outlined simple steps to handle a complaint and make it into a positive in the hopes of keeping the customer.
First, take responsibility. If you did make a mistake, you need to own up to it. Did you lose a garment? Was the garment not handled properly? Were you late in providing the garment to the customer?
Show some sympathy. Listen to the customer. It is important to let him talk. Interrupting will serve no purpose and he wants to be heard. Again, remember, you need to take these steps even if you were not at fault.
Work out a fair settlement. You might consider giving your customer service representatives some authority to settle claims. “Quick and easy,” Trudy advises. When claims drag on and on, no one wins. Even if the customer gets want he wants, he will not come away with a warm and fuzzy feeling!
Always make a sincere apology. The customer wants to feel valued. With this complaint and the way you handle it, you have a chance to capture the customer and instead of him telling his friends about the negative experience, he will tell them about positive outcome.
Sam Walton, the founder of Wal-Mart Stores said, “There is only one boss: The customer. And he can fire everyone in the company, from the chairman on down, simply by spending his money somewhere else.” Use those complaints to your benefit.