How To Handle Angry Customers In Your Business
There's been some chaos happening in the online space, specifically the spiritual community.
I want to share this with you because this is also a crucial part of building and sustaining your brand but something people often overlook.
Brand Reputation and Damage Control.
If you've ever experienced an angry, dissatisfied or possibly difficult customer/client you know how this can make you feel. And whether or not you dropped the ball is "neither here nor there" as my Mom says. How you behave and respond next speaks volumes and will determine if your brand sinks or swims and makes it to shore so it can recover.
The #1 rule in managing your brand's reputation and implementing damage control EFFECTIVELY is to CHOOSE/USE your words wisely. I know you may get the urge to want to defend yourself. You're a human being and nobody wants to be looked at in a negative light. However, DO NOT DO THIS.
Why? Because as much as you think people want to hear your side of the story, they really don't. At least not in the way you think and ESPECIALLY if you're trying to share your side with the very people you've upset.
So what do I do, Jay?
That depends on a few things.
It depends on the severity of the situation. And it depends on what you have in place to leverage when you're implementing damage control.
The #1 thing to never ever do is argue back and forth with the person you've pissed off. Don't attempt to gather receipts, don't try to point the finger, don't treat the customer as if they're wrong or crazy or lying.
Here's what you should do:
Apologize: This should be the very first thing you do.
Empathize: Let them know you understand WHY they're upset
Make restitution: Refund them, offer them something for free or at a discounted rate. But wait...you're still not done....
You need to FOLLOW UP with them. Let them know you're sincere about making things right by checking in with them and seeing how things are going.
I also found the following questions below via my BFF (google) and I'm sharing them here because I agree with them. Here are some questions and protocols to ask and put in place depending on the size of your company.
What brand messages are you trying to express? What elements should be included in every message? (HINT: Apologies come first!) What perks are they allowed to offer? (examples: free products, refunds, discounts) Also, give employees examples of good and bad responses. Then, give them the freedom to deal with lower-level problems and, as they prove themselves, work on higher-level problems.
Now, if you've made the mistake of doing the opposite here, no worries. Grant yourself some grace and put a proper plan in place in the event there's a next time, which, there more than likely will be. Because you can't please everybody.
If you need further assistance with this, please reach out to me. I LOVE this kind of stuff and help companies and clients with damage control and managing their reputation.
Shoot me questions below if you have them!