No matter how successful you and your company are, and no matter how well you communicate, mistakes and misunderstanding will happen. How you handle those times is probably the true measure of your communication and customer service skills. When things go amiss, placing blame is not productive, but it makes good business sense to take the time to review what went wrong and why.
There are going to be times the ‘why’ is because the business made an error. Never be afraid let your customer or team member know an error was made, and more importantly, that it is being corrected immediately. Communicating issues makes it clear that your customers are dealing with someone that recognizes mistakes and doesn’t try to cover them up. It isn’t the occasional error that will hurt your relationship. Mistakes happen. However, an attempted cover-up, denial, or lie will have negative and far-reaching consequences.
Other times the “why” will be because of a customer’s miscommunication or mistake. Whenever possible, apply the old adage, “The customer is always right.” Remember, even if it costs you a bit to correct their error, it’s can be far more costly to lose a good customer. Making the customer “right” doesn’t mean you have to pretend the error was your fault. A skillful consultant will listen to a customer and communicate the desire to fix the problem. Taking steps to rectify the situation without admitting fault or placing blame is great communication and customer service.
It can be difficult to deal with a customer or team member who is upset over an issue, but it’s the time when a professional, calm approach is most needed. Even if the customer becomes unreasonable and insulting stay focused on solving the problem. How you handle the whole situation can result in gaining one of your most loyal customers. Mishandle an upset customer and you’re likely to end up with a very vocal, unsatisfied ex-customer.
No matter what you do, there will be situations when there’s nothing you can do to please your customers or team. When you’ve exhausted all attempts, you’ll have to accept the consequences and move on. Exit with an apology, follow-up with one last offer, and let it go.
Always remember, no one is perfect. Admit your mistakes, forgive others’ mistakes, and let criticism roll of your back. You’ll be less stressed and more successful.
What’s the biggest mistake you or your customer made recently and how did you handle it?
Next in the series (later this week):
It All Adds Up To…
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Missed the other communication tips? Here they are:
Tip one – Listen
Tip two – Email Etiquette
Bonus – Mailing List PLR
Tip three – Phone Etiquette
It sounds like you’re creating problems yourself by trying to solve this issue instead of looking at why their is a problem in the first place.