I guess all of us have been on the receiving end of a situation where we are not satisfied with customer service. But how do you respond?
Is it your go-to response to stay quiet and suck things up?
Or would you prefer to point out the issue, without any real expectation, other than to have the service provider be notified?
Or do you go for it, at any cost, expect a refund, based on your single-minded assessment?
Human nature is such that depending on the circumstances, we can end up anywhere on this spectrum. Whichever way we respond, it is nice to know that we have some subtle default parameters that are invisibly working within us, which affect our psyche.
Over the last couple of months I have encountered a few episodes of poor customer service and this helped me to decide that this is the topic I wish to address in this blog. I want to share five steps that will help you to decide on the action that you might wish to take, when a customer approaches you with a complaint.
As background information, I just want to share the poor customer service experiences I refer to, have come from varying providers, and you will see, product-based or service-based, the tips I share will equally apply. On one occasion I got bitten by a bedbug, three times in one night, whilst sleeping in a five-star hotel.
On another encounter, I have had mailed to me a multiport adapter that has not worked upon opening and then, after repeated phone calls to rectify, on two further occasions, they have sent to me a replacement gadget that has not worked either! Lol!
And finally, my daughter has had part of her eyebrow burnt off by a laser company that was dealing with her acne.
1. Take responsibility
Human nature might force us to be “nice”, and thus we can feel compelled not to speak up, as if being kind is more important than anything else.
This is unfortunately the same as giving away our power. In such a scenario, the person who has provided a poor service is not given the opportunity to grow and pull their socks up. So being nice, can end up being a problem for both the customer, as well as the provider of the service.
The first tip I wish to share, is that it is wise to stay open and want to hear from your customers if they have a complaint. It becomes a growth opportunity for your business, if you find that the “mistake” is genuine and validated. Taking full responsibility helps you to retain credibility in the market place, and possibly even gain more business in the future, if you handle it well.
The hotel took responsibility reluctantly. It said sorry, moved me into a new room, but did not offer a complimentary night as compensation until requested. The USB adapter company has been totally untrustworthy, and the therapist that burnt the eyebrow decided to offer a refund without me even requesting it but yet failed to process it on my credit card.
You can see each of these providers took responsibility in different ways. The point I am making here, is that the responsibility is two fold – one for the customer to speak up and be clear about the exact issue, and the second is the way we as a business holder respond.
2. Stay humble
Often when a complaint is made, our defenses can go up, particularly when someone is being rude to us. This is fascinating in a culture of “the customer is king” because it is sort of being fueled by societal conditioning right now. Often when people choose to be aggressive when they have been let down, they succeed the fastest in getting a refund, just because they are being difficult.
My own tip on this, is to remember how you would wish to be dealt with. Most of us prefer someone to talk to us politely and we find it easier to stay open-hearted and receptive when this actually happens. Also, communication channels can improve too, if an honest conversation is handled well.
So, tip number two is that when you find a customer complaining at you, use that opportunity to stay humble and at least hear out the full situation with an open-hearted approach. Do not get defensive, as power is automatically lost in such an approach. Although it is paradoxical, humility appears weak, when it is in fact the sign of true strength. You are saying, subtly, I am doing my best, but I know I am not perfect. As such, I am open.
Being humble, does not mean you will just accept anything that has been thrown at you however. It at least keeps everything in flow, until you can discern the course of action that needs to be deployed.
At the hotel, when they did not compensate me initially for my bedbug experience, I politely said to them, do not mistake my gentle tone of addressing this as weakness. I am waiting to hear what the hotel will be doing to make this right for me and they immediately refunded my nights’ stay with them!
With the USB adaptor company I had to chase them many times over, and today I have notified them in writing that I will now expect a refund, and simultaneously I will be putting a review on amazon to share my experience. I do not want anything from them now.
I know that I need to move on and buy elsewhere but at the same time, others need to forewarned that their device does not work! I can at least help other customers. With the therapist that burnt part of my daughters’ eyebrow, I am fully aware, that was just the slip of a hand, and the brow will grow back quickly- so I have chosen not to push it any further.
3. Check in with your integrity
This third step requires a level of self- awareness and obviously complete honesty. We always know what feels right and what does not.
So, when a customer is complaining at us, we always need to check in with our own integrity to feel into the situation. Even if the ego wants to pretend, our inner knower will tell us what the real situation is.
So tip number three is to always connect with your integrity before making a decision on how to handle the business complaint.
This will then avoid you making a decision coming from weakness. You do not want to be bullied into action, when your integrity is telling you that your service matched to the initial outline of the business transaction.
I have found myself changing parameters with suppliers at times- and obviously when that happens, I should expect to pay extra. Being completely honest with ourselves is something that most of us are not taught to do too well, especially when everyone is seen as the “other”. Also as most market places are beginning to become cut throat and competitive, a lot of pressure is placed on “cheap” and “quick”.
Step three is a very important step to ensure that you are not building up bad karma, and for you to know that it is easier to sleep at night when the right thing is done.
I have found that it is thus very important to know when a customer is not being honest and just trying to get something for nothing. This is your responsibility, as in step one, to tackle with honesty.
I had a taxi driver quote me a figure more than twice another option for an upcoming visit that is being planned for India. I simply called him and told him the truth. Simple.
My integrity said that the laser treatment had been completed for my daughter even though an error occurred. I have now chosen a new therapist that is more experienced to avoid such a risk again, but I have not pursued trying to get a refund as the service was done.
As for the USB adaptor company, I have given them many chances to correct the situation and now I know the product cannot do what it is purported to achieve. Integrity says, drop it, get a refund and be realistic.
They cannot retrieve the situation to make it right, even though I have given them three chances- now my “kindness” is beginning to be a detriment to me.
With the hotel, they sent off one of my Northface sweatshirts for drycleaning, as it was on the same bed, where the bedbug was found. When they realised they had lost my sweatshirt the next day, the manager called me to apologise, and then insisted that I should not pay for the other two nights either. His integrity knew that a problem was going from bad to worse, and his honesty led him to act appropriately.
4. Be mindful of expectations
This step is a tricky one but can be sensed if it is not articulated carefully to you. When a customer complains you can often sniff out when it is simply done just to get a refund! Is it that the service has been consumed, but their ego now wants more for nothing? There are some people who live by this strategy throughout their life.
As a business owner, it is very important to intuitively connect with the expectations of the complaint bearer. Are they just wanting a refund? Have they stipulated how things can be made right? Is the expectation reasonable? Is their expectation realistic?
As with the previous points it is thus important to know your own expectations of yourself too when dealing with your customer complaints.
Are you prepared to always accept that the customer is right, and if so, why have you set that as a business expectation?
Have you set a fair basis of evaluating what should happen? Some business owners will say, we will match the price plus five percent to keep your custom, and that might be because they need volume, like my contact lens supplier does. Is that appropriate for your business? Volume discounts can prove to be detrimental in some companies so don’t move just with a trend
Be mindful of your own expectations for your business and stick to them. The USB adaptor company wanted proof of the fact the gadget did not work, wanted it mailed back at my expense the first time, wanted film footage to show the second and third one did not work.
It did not trust its’ customers at all, presumably because they themselves are not behaving ethically at all. The laser company wanted to see a photograph of the eyebrow that had been burnt off. The hotel asked to see my bedbug bites, and photographs too. Have your own policies too, so that you do not give away your power. But make sure your policies do not give the customer the impression that their perception is not trusted either.
5. Know when to let it go
My final piece of advice on this is step five, know when to let it go!
This is simple. Once you have handled the complaint, let it go. Do not let it continue to sabotage your own sense of good feel factor of what you provide. Too many people chew over the “mistake” and then give it disproportionate energy, to that which it deserves
Keep everything in context. It all happens for learning, both about yourself and others. These things help you to define what type of customer you wish to work with. Have the courage to define things for yourself from these moments.
Never give away your power as this will happen over and over again if you do. Say no, if the complaint is not validated in your eyes.
In my business once an awareness comes in, there is no going back. The magic has already happened for the client, even if they try to claim no change arose. In your business that might not be so easy to discern.
When you are making a complaint of another provider, you also need to know when to let it go- as for me with the USB adaptor company- three times was enough. With the hotel, them losing my sweatshirt, I had to let go! Similarly, for you, for your own mental wellbeing, some things are just for the experience and the learning. Seeing the big picture helps you to move to let go.
I look forward to hearing how you apply these five steps to your own business in due course. In the meantime, happy holidays to all of you!
About the Author, Kindi Gill ACA
Kindi is a former CEO who offers Self-Awareness Executive Coaching, teaches principles of Consciousness and specializes in Change & Mental Health as a Professional Speaker.
Kindi has been a student of the Dalian School for Health and Consciousness and is a Facilitator of the Self Healing Dalian Method, an evolutionary tool for Transformation. Kindi has shared this system with hundreds of people, since founding Spark Expansion Consulting in 2015, and without fail, adults, teenagers and children delight in their changes.
Call Kindi at 778-558-5110 for help in getting your business and personal life back on track to achieve its natural full potential or visit www.www.InwardLeadership.com for her free leadership report.
