As a business owner, you will inevitably come across at least one unhappy customer in your career. Even businesses with five star ratings and amazing reputations get the occasional complaint to deal with. By learning how to address this issue before it comes up, you will be prepared to regain the client’s trust and maintain your contract at the same time. Here is a guide explaining how to win back an unhappy customer.
If a customer is already upset with you, the last thing he will want to do is fill out extra forms or rearrange his schedule to accommodate you. When you come up with a customer service solution, you need to make sure it works well for the client. For instance, you may need to come by to clean windows at a time that suits the client’s busy schedule. You may simply need to void the invoice for that day’s work. Focus on convenience, and you may be able to preserve your relationship with the client.
No matter what industry you work in, your business depends on customer satisfaction. Happy customers lead to high profit margins. If you are working with a particularly finicky client or a customer who simply isn’t pleased with your work, make sure he or she feels appreciated. Thank the customer for the opportunity he or she has provided for you, and sincerely apologize for work that just isn’t up to par.
It would be best to do this in person so you can connect one-on-one with the customer. This shows just how much you care about resolving the matter. Emails and, even worse, text messages are a big no-no in the business world.
This is the go-to method for winning back an unhappy customer. If you feel like the matter cannot be resolved with words alone, you may need to offer a free service to get on the customer’s good side. Offer a discount on the next window cleaning session, or give it away for free altogether. This will temporarily hurt your bottom-dollar, but if it saves the contract and your reputation, it’s worth the sacrifice.
Maintain the proper level of professionalism when dealing with unhappy customers, and always put their needs above yours. If you can do this successfully, you can bypass a potentially devastating situation.