Don't Let Your Customers Get Away!

Do you remember the last time you experienced great service from a company?  How many people did you tell?  Studies show that a satisfied customer tells 2 – 3 people about their experience.

When was the last time that you were disappointed with a company’s service?  The same studies show that an unhappy customer will share their experience with 8 – 10 people.  Some will tell even more than 10 people.  If someone decides to tell their story via social media, hundreds of people hear this one person’s story.

Why doesn’t a satisfied customer tell more people about their experience?  It’s simple.  A customer expects good service. 

Mistakes can happen and most customers will understand this.  You don't want their complaint to show up on Facebook or Twitter, but what can you do to prevent this?  Watch for an unhappy customer, and don't let them walk out the door or hang up the phone without trying to please them.  Studies show you have a chance of over 80% to turn them from an unhappy customer into a loyal customer if you can resolve their problem quickly. 

Unfortunately, about 1 in 26 unhappy customers do not make a complaint.  Don't assume that these customers are not that upset because they didn't complain; a customer who doesn't complain probably regrets it later and is very likely to avoid your business in the future.  If you are fortunate enough that a customer brings a problem to your attention, treat them as if they are your only customer and immediately try to please them. 

Involve your customer in this process.  Ask them, “What can we do to make this right?”  You will find that most requests will be quite reasonable and your customer will feel good knowing that they came up with the solution.

When mistakes happen, they should be addressed quickly.  You have spent a lot of money attracting customers.  Don’t let them get them away.