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I have bad news here. An angry customer blows on the neck, tears it off over the phone, or daggers it over the email. At worst, they threaten you with the words every business owner fears: “I will never use you again. I will tell everyone I know not to use you.”
So is there any good news about this scenario? Surprisingly, there is! A thoroughly tested psychological principle called the “paradox of service recovery” has demonstrated that initially dissatisfied customers can later improve their situation. Probability is high To be a lifelong loyalty and an advocate in front of the company.
that’s right. She is one of those attractive customers who are interested in not only doing business with you, but also telling all of their friends about you in a good way.
Why? Now, your customers will know that you are more than just a weather friend, they can count on you even if things go wrong. You two are going through a common and difficult experience together right now. Their hearts are beating at the same time, and they both feel a sense of relief that they have reached the other side.
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How can you successfully satisfy unhappy customers?
Now that we know the potential benefits of recovering customers, here are four factors that contribute to a successful service recovery.
- Start selecting future employees based on their personality strengths As such, it is well suited for this task (to the extent possible given organizational constraints).
- Regardless of the psychological makeup of existing employees, we will begin to provide services such as: customer service training In “Situation Empathy”“The ability to put yourself in the shoes of others (in this case, the customer).
- Adopt and embrace a service recovery framework. Determine, train, and rehearse your specific service recovery framework. Which particular framework you choose (there are several frameworks out there, some of which are company-specific) depends on how you implement it company-wide and the next customer will be offended. It’s not as important as your commitment to training and rehearsing before you play. energy generated by the situation.
If you don’t already have a service recovery framework, I’m happy to provide mine.
The service recovery framework I recommend to my clients is called the “MAMA Method”, which I developed independently and which has contributed significantly to the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company’s pioneering efforts in service recovery. .
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MAMA Method of Service Recovery
- M.Please take your time and listen.
- aRecognize and apologize if necessary.
- (I have) M.Mind setting.
- aCT! and follow up.
Here are the details:
Man: Please make time to listen.
- Whatever you are doing, please stop immediately.
- Do not interrupt customers with questions or clarifications.
- Only then, explore what exactly the customer is upset about and try to understand the situation further.
A: Admit it and apologize if necessary. Be aware of the situation and apologize sincerely if you feel you are obliged to do so. (Note: Every customer is different. Not all customers want an apology, and some customers are offended by an apology. This is something you’ll feel with practice.)
Man: (with thoughts) Let’s exchange ideas. This is a step that takes organizational constraints and realities into account and strives to blend what the customer wants with what can realistically be achieved for them.
A: Take action! and follow up. As promised in the previous “exchange of ideas” stage, keep yourself busy working on the issue. If you decide to delegate part of the service resolution, follow up with the person who delegated to ensure it was handled properly and completely. For organizational growth, also document what went wrong so that failure patterns and their causes can be systematically addressed later.
IMPORTANT WARNING AND DISCLAIMER: This service restoration procedure and approach is not intended to guide you in the face of armed or violent individuals. Dealing with that situation is another area, usually called “de-escalation training”. That’s not what I’m talking about here, and it’s not my area of expertise.
Why did you choose “MAMA” as your name and nickname? The overarching idea of the MAMA Method is that unhappy customers should be treated as caring mothers and fathers. — “Just tell the facts, ma’am” litigators would deal with minor injuries instead of that.
Caring parents will acknowledge their child’s feelings rather than try to downplay them. As any parent knows, this is the fastest way to wipe away your child’s tears and get them back to playing. Conversely, ignoring the child’s emotions escalates the crying as the child has to prove to the parent that he or she has been hurt.
You are not here to prove to your customers that they are innocent or wrong. Rather, you are here to comfort and listen to their stories without interruption. If you do it reliably, your customers will open up and tell you what they want as a solution, so you can do it based on what you can realistically achieve given your organization’s resources and realities. You get a chance to fix it.