Part of owning a home business is providing customer service to your clients. There is a great deal of information that can be helpful when providing customer service. One issue that should be addressed is managing customer complaints for your home business. There is no way to keep everyone happy all of the time. When you market products and services, there is sure to be someone that is going to have a complaint. Complaints are fine for a home business as long as you manage them well and turn the experience into a good one.
A customer may be in a bad mood and end up taking it out on you. No matter how belligerent, rude or nasty the customer may be to you, it is important to not take it personally. You have no idea what happened in that person's life that day or even week. Unfortunately, for whatever reason they may end up taking their anger and frustration with life out on you without even realizing it. Even if you know that they realize it, you still cannot take it personally. Taking customer complaints personally will create a volatile situation that you want to completely avoid. Remember that no matter what the complaint, it is not personal toward you specifically.
After the customer has calmed down, try and ascertain what the exact problem is that has upset them. Was the product different than they expected? Was the shipping delayed? Find out what the actual problem is that has upset the customer and caused them to complain. Immediately apologize to the customer. The best way to apologize is to tell the customer that you are sorry that they feel blank. For example, if the shipping took too long. You can say to the customer that you are sorry that they feel the shipping took too long to get the product to their house. This is not admitting fault because you are simply acknowledging their feelings.
For a complaint that there is no solution try and offer something to the customer. For example, if the shipping took too long in the customer's eyes, offer a discount on their next purchase. Offer to provide them with free shipping next time if you charge shipping for your wellness products. As the last resort, you can give them a partial refund for their product. When determining a refund, calculate how much the product cost you. Make certain that the product is cost is covered and refund the profit. This will enable you to refund them a bit without losing a great deal of money or completely giving the items away for free.
For a complaint that there is a solution, fix the problem immediately. For example, if the product arrived in poor condition. Go ahead and ship another product to the customer and ask them to ship the poor condition product back to you. Don't wait until you receive their item to replace it. The majority of time people will not keep both products. Let the customer know what solution you offer for fixing the situation immediately. This will let them know that you care about their happiness with your wellness products and services.
If the customer cannot be satisfied with any solution that you offer for the problem, ask them to give you a suggestion. In a calm voice ask them what they recommend that you do to rectify the situation for them. Often if they don't have a solution they will be more willing to accept one of your previous suggestions. Remember that a happy customer is going to repeat sales and spread the word about your products and services for your new home business.
Dealing With Customer Complaints
Marketing research shows that only 1 out 50 unhappy customers take the time to complain... to you. They are likely to let 11 of their friends in on the fact that they are unhappy, but don't feel comfortable letting you know. What happens to the 49 unhappy customers who don't complain? Besides griping to 11 friends and family members, they'll just change products or places of business.
Complaining Customers Are A Bonus
Let's forget about the fact that complaining customers aren't always polite or fun to deal with. What's really happening when they let you know that you didn't meet their expectations?
1. They are giving you the opportunity to fix the problem and keep them as customers.
2. Let you in on problems that may have turned 49 other customers away.
Encourage Complaints
Yeah, I know... I dread them too, but they are tools for growing your business. How easy is it for your customers to let you know they are dissatisfied with your product or service? Make it easy by...
1. Offering a toll-free complaint hotline.
2. Make customer satisfaction surveys available.
3. Send follow up postcards after the purchase.
4. Make a place on your Website for customer complaints.
The Unhappy Customer's Options
An unhappy customer can do one of four things:
1. Keep silent
2. File a lawsuit or report you to an government agency
3. Give you bad word-of-mouth advertising
4. Complain to you
Remember that your customers and clients know your businesses strengths and weaknesses much better than you do! They have first-hand experience to make their judgment from. When a customer takes the time to let you know what you need to improve you truly owe them a thank you! And don't forget... an unhappy customer that you turn into a happy customer becomes a loyal, life-long customer. Yeah, customer complaints pay off in the long run.
Both Zach Thompson & Allyn Cutts are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Zach Thompson has sinced written about articles on various topics from Business Loans, Nutrition and Tax Software. Zach Thompson is a 23 year-old network marketer & marketing consultant. Why Zach Thompson?. Zach Thompson's top article generates over 49500 views. Bookmark Zach Thompson to your Favourites.
Allyn Cutts has sinced written about articles on various topics from Marketing, Sales and Negotiation and Marketing. Who is Allyn Cutts, and why should you care?Allyn has spent over 24 years helping businesses like yours find new customers and increase sales to current customers. Allyn is a marketing and sales fanatic, providing measurable marketing solutions that d. Allyn Cutts's top article generates over 18100 views. Bookmark Allyn Cutts to your Favourites.
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