When the customer’s unhappy and you know it
Aiming to please its market is the business of business. Happy customers come back for repeat orders. They create goodwill for the company by spreading the “good word” around.
However, pleasing everyone all the time is next to impossible. There will inevitably be lapses—occasions when you fall short of standards. Moreover, in business, you meet all kinds, including customers who are by nature hard to please and over-demanding.
When dealing with an unhappy customer, the first thing to remember is not to take it personally. It is important to stay calm, which is easier to do if you keep the “nothing personal” mindset.
In its website, the Small Enterprises Research and Development Foundation (Serdef) cites advice from Dale Carnegie, author of the classic “How to Win Friends and Influence People.” Carnegie’s foremost suggestion in handling an angry person is: “Stay calm; remain diplomatic and polite, as getting angry will only make him angrier.”
Carnegie also underscores the importance of seeing things from the customer’s viewpoint.
We asked several business owners for their own experiences handling unhappy customers.
Carla Samantha Pulido Ocampo
Carla Samantha Pulido Ocampo, co-owner of Habi Collective, a multimedia production company, recalls that she used to bristle in the face of unrealistic client demands. “Like expecting video outputs disproportionate to their budget. Or asking for major revisions and wanting these delivered ASAP.”
There have been times in the past that she felt compelled to give a client a piece of her mind. Now older and wiser, Ocampo realized that in client relations, “your point, no matter how valid, will not be accepted by the other party if you sound arrogant and uncool.”
She learned her lesson the hard way when a client blacklisted her after she passionately unleashed political views the client did not share. “I realized then that diplomacy and a calm, smiling demeanor would win me not just clients but also people willing to change their world view if only you talked with them tactfully.”
Summer Reyes Carullo
Summer Reyes Carullo, who runs VRC Creative Events Management Corp., shares a wealth of insights: “Regardless of what the concern is, I would apologize and thank the customer for calling our attention to the problem.”
She would write down responses given, careful to separate the chaff from the grain because “angry customers tend to include details not relevant to the original complaint.” Addressing the customer by name instead of the usual “ma’am” or “sir”, using Taglish instead of straight English and saying “po” and “opo” helped to lend a “malambing” tone to her voice.
More advice from Carullo: “In explaining your side, be aware of the customer’s level of technical know-how. A customer would be angrier and more confused if made to listen to techie stuff beyond his comprehension.
“Avoid passing the customer around. If you have to include one of your staff into the conversation, be sure the new person has been briefed as to what has been previously discussed.
“Smile whether you are conversing on the phone or face-to-face.”
Rory Rebustes, creative director of Citrus Snap Photography Studio, admits it is not always possible to maintain the same standard of quality for every project or client. There will always be instances of unmet client expectations owing to some limitations in resources or circumstances beyond one’s control. “When this happens, we apologize and explain why something went wrong. We then try to make up for our shortcomings.”
Kim Briguera Dacara views negative feedback as learning experiences. As a taxicab operator, she constantly receives complaints about drivers, not all of which are valid. “We hear out the dissatisfied passengers. We also listen to the drivers’ side. If investigations show our people are at fault, we mete out disciplinary action. Otherwise, we promise to answer the complaint at the proper forum.”
Tomas Ranada of Uptrend Marketing, a supplier of health supplements imported from the US, says he is always ready to apologize profusely and replace a defective product or even refund buyers in case of valid complaints. In customer relations, he lets himself be guided by an old proverb: “A gentle voice turns away wrath, but a harsh voice stirs up anger.” —CONTRIBUTED
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