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Conversion & Usability
Minimize Customer Complaints
...in four easy steps
Customer complaints are a fact of life for all business owners, and the topic of dealing with them is always important. Understanding how to respond to a customer complaint will improve your customer service, as well as encourage repeat business.
According to a Technical Assistance Research Program, Inc. study, only 50% of customers will contact you directly if they have a complaint about your product or service. Out of that 50%, most of these folks (90%) will take their business somewhere else in the future, and you will never know why. Furthermore, these unsatisfied customers will tell an average of seven to nine people about their experience.
Here’s one way you can reach out to these anonymous customers and turn an unhappy customer into a loyal one; and at the same time obtain valuable feedback:
STEP ONE: Create a simple form on your site specifically for customer feedback. Be sure to keep it short but ask the customer about their buying experience, customer service, and their overall satisfaction.
STEP TWO: Send a follow-up email within a week of the customer receiving their product or service. Keep the email short, and encourage the customer to click on a link to take them to the form you created. Be sure to explain in your email that the form is very brief and will only take a minute to fill out.
STEP THREE: If the customer had a good experience you can ask them to use their statement on your site as valuable customer testimonial! If the customer had a bad experience move to the next step.
STEP FOUR: Mail out a personal card or letter apologizing for the issue (yes, I mean snail-mail). If the value of the sale permits, send a small box of chocolates with the letter. Be sure the letter is personal, and signed by the principal of the company along with their contact information.
Even if your customer is not left totally satisfied, reaching out to them in a personal and surprising way will give them a sense of satisfaction and good will towards your business.
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Published on Wednesday, February 01, 2006
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These are wonderful steps if implemented.
Posted by: Aminata Kamara
Thursday, January 10, 2008