Customer Service: Your Chance to be a Leader

“Statistics suggest that when customers complain, business owners and managers ought to get excited about it. The complaining customer represents a huge opportunity for more business.”
Zig Ziglar​

by Skip Cohen

It's the first Marketing Monday post of the new year, and while typically my posts are more photo-centric, today's applies to EVERY business, not just professional photographers.

This is the time of year when many of you are still working to resolve customer service issues related to business left over from the holidays. Great customer service is your not-so-secret weapon for building a stronger brand and separating yourself from your competitors, and it doesn't matter what business you're in!

Too many of you think unhappy customers are a curse—the dark side of owning a business. In reality, they're an outstanding asset if treated right! Not treated right, unhappy customers have the potential to influence thousands of people through their social media and personal reach.

​It's time to stop being afraid of angry customers. Remember, you've got two ears and one mouth, so listen twice as much as you talk!

• It all starts with a fundamental understanding of the customer: It doesn't matter if they're right or not; they believe they're right, and you need to listen. You have to accept that something happened that shouldn't have—no matter who or what caused it, you have a chance to resolve the issue.
• Fine-tune your listening skills. Don't react to anything they say until they're done saying it. This is a tough one, but it can start with a simple opener: "Hi, this is _____, and I understand you're not happy with something we did. How can I help?"

 
You can modify the opener any way you want, but the defusing line is "How can I help?" Another one to use is "Let's see if I can help fix this for you." Your goal is to demonstrate empathy, kick back, be quiet, and listen. 
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Challenges with unhappy customers will happen as long as you're in business. Here are some suggestions to help you build a stronger brand and a reputation for integrity, empathy, and GREAT service.

1. Respond promptly – don't let things go more than a day without getting back to your client. When an upset customer doesn't hear back from you promptly, they assume you're hiding or just don't care.
2. Communicate with your client via phone or face-to-face. Email doesn't always work as well when you've got an argument on your hands. Your customers need to hear your voice; a little eye contact is much better. Pick up the phone and call them whenever possible.
3. Take the blame – seriously, even if the problem wasn't directly your fault, it's still your business.
4. Don't delegate the battles—There's nothing more frustrating to an angry customer than feeling you're hiding behind one of your employees. And when it can't be helped, if an employee is on the frontline of "battle," give them the power and tools to resolve the issue. Resolve issues quickly with solutions that are valuable to the consumer. Come up with a resolution and work towards one that your client feels is fair.

Here's a perfect example, which I know I've shared in past posts. Living in the Chicago area years ago, we tried carry-out from a new Chinese restaurant. Halfway through dinner, we found a small dead cockroach in the fried rice. I immediately packaged everything back up and stormed back to the restaurant for a refund. Instead of immediately apologizing and handling my request, the owner complained that the rice was already half-eaten! She then wanted to give me a gift certificate to come back! Obviously, we never ate there again, but to try and argue with me about the merits of their food at that point was far from realistic. 
 
Remember, one angry customer today can turn into a troll and undermine your credibility throughout the community. And the community, especially in cyberspace, goes far beyond your city limits. On the other hand, a satisfied customer who feels you've been on their side and working towards solving the problem will help build a foundation for future business.

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"Your customer doesn't care how much you know, until they know how much you care!"
​Damon Richards