Take the High Road

How to turn a service mistake into a relationship

How your company responds to complaints can make or break your relationship with a customer. If your company does everything in its power to fix a service mistake, a complaint can turn into an opportunity to dazzle customers. Follow these tips to turn a potential service mistake into a smooth recovery plan:

1. Learn to listen. Understanding each customer's individual concerns comes from knowing how to read people. For example, if you own a restaurant and receive a complaint from a family, their concerns may be coming from a different place than those of two adults on a business luncheon. As a result, the solutions will be different. Sympathizing with your customer and understanding the context of their distress is the best way to find a fix.
2. Be specific. The more specific you are when handling a customer service issue, the more at ease your customer will feel. For example, if you run a motel and a guest reports a broken fixture in their room, give them a definitive timeframe for when it will be fixed. Knowing when a problem will be dealt with immediately decreases customer anxiety.
3. Act fast. If a customer has taken the time to tell you about their complaint, then you're lucky: they're giving you a second chance. Deal with all issues brought to your attention promptly, and do your best to make amends. Take advantage of every complaint as an opportunity to rebuild your relationship with your customer.