Do Not Ignore Your Unhappy Customers

The telephone game can kill your business.

This fun childhood game is where one child whispers a message to another, who then whispers to a third and so on around the circle until the last player tells the final version to the entire group. The process illustrates how quickly a simple and short message can completely change as it is shared even within a small group.

According to a study at Northwestern published in the Journal of Neuroscience, your brain remembers events slightly differently every time you recall a previous memory. Imagine how the remembered versions would vary with a large group of people. Then think about what can happen through social media. If you are concerned about brands and messaging, it is imperative that you take these factors into account so you can leverage positive customer experiences and minimize negative stories.

While it may be tempting to dodge unhappy customers, neglecting them will only exacerbate the situation. A recent Retail Customer Dissatisfaction Study showed that up to 31% of dissatisfied customers tell others about their experience with 6% of those telling as many as six or more people. Not the word of mouth that you want to build your brand or your business.

With less than 10% of customers voicing their concerns when their expectations are not met, you should take full advantage of the actionable feedback that you receive by:

• Reaching out to unhappy customers to truly understand their frustrations
• Empathizing with their situation
• Trying to make it right from their perspective

Read more about turning unhappy customers into promoters...

About LSA Global
Founded in 1995, LSA Global is a leading performance consulting and training firm that helps high growth technology, services, and life-science companies create a competitive advantage by powerfully aligning their culture and talent with their strategy. Learn more about getting aligned

How to Create Customer Service Excellence

Does speed kill customer service?

Too many customer service and contact centers still weigh the number and speed of calls to measure day-to-day rep performance. That is a mistake. No customer wants to feel like a number in the lineup of callers.

While it is true that customers want their issues resolved quickly, they also want to be served in a way that feels fair, reasonable and respectful. When you analyze customer satisfaction data, it pays to slow down the service experience to ensure that all clients feel as though:

• They have your full attention
• You understand their unique situation
• You genuinely want to resolve their issue

Financially, the better the service experience, the more likely you are to retain that client and have them tell a friend to take advantage of what you have to offer.

L.L. Bean learned to slow down the customer experience long ago. Every customer service call is answered by a live person. Their reps have been trained to allocate the time required to build rapport, understand the problem and solve the issue. They are not rewarded for rushing through calls. They are measured by the problems they solve and the quality of the interaction from the buyer's perspective.

The objective of customer service should be to generate good will (as measured by repeat and referred business) and leave the customer feeling that they were well treated.

The bottom line: If you want to improve customer acquisition, loyalty, growth, and satisfaction, try slowing down your customer service interactions.

Read more about customer service excellence...

About LSA Global
Founded in 1995, LSA Global is a leading performance consulting and training firm that helps high growth technology, services, and life-science companies create a competitive advantage by powerfully aligning their culture and talent with their strategy. Learn more about getting aligned