I awoke before sunrise this morning to an urgent email from a client who was trying to deal with a contentious “customer.”
I put the word customer in quotes because the guy doing the complaining hadn’t actually purchased anything. In fact, that was his complaint; the client used the word “free” to describe a component of a multi-part product, a component that could be “freely” installed on any computer but which was effectively useless without the other components of the product. He had a point.
Now, I’ve never subscribed to the notion that the customer is always right. In fact, many times the customer is just plain wrong and many times, the cranks that try to manipulate companies never have been and never will be true customers.
Still, every interaction with a customer (would-be or otherwise) is a chance to learn, and suffice to say, my client learned a lot from this encounter.
For example, he learned that the right first response is rarely a long explanation. The customer was upset and his well-intentioned e-mail reply you told him – in so many words – that he was wrong to be upset, which only upset him more.
A complaining customer is usually angry to some degree. The first priority is to diffuse that anger. Simply acknowledging the anger and apologizing for it goes a long way. This is different from acknowledging culpability or taking responsibility for the anger. (That may or may not come later.) Try a simple: “I’m sorry that you had an unpleasant experience with our company. We would like to work with you to better understand and rectify the situation.”
Next, tell the customer what you are going to do about the thing that upset him. An apology with no sense of “justice” is empty. It effectively says, “Sorry you’re upset, man, but we’re not going to do anything to change.” You’ll lose that customer just as surely as if you said nothing at all.
Finally, make to ammends if you can. Offer a personal contact to hear out the customer. Provide a discounted or free product, if doing so is a reasonable response. Invite the customer into a special class of service or to participate in a focus group. An appropriate show of appreciation can turn a complainer into a champion for the company.
What ever you do though:
- NEVER try to explain why the complaint is wrong or unjustified.
- NEVER give more information than is asked for or required.
- ALWAYS extend the opportunity to contact you directly for further comment.
In the right hands, an angry customer can be converted to the company’s best friend.
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