The ABCs of Customer Recovery

Title:The ABCs of Customer RecoveryWord Count:597Summary:This week I present 26 little ideas to help yourespond to complaints and difficult customerswith much more ease?the <b>ABC of CustomerRecovery.</b>

Keywords:Customer service; difficult customersArticle Body:This week I present 26 little ideas to help yourespond to complaints and difficult customerswith much more ease?the <b>ABC of CustomerRecovery.</b><b>A</b> ct as if every lost customer sales comeout of your paycheck.<b>B</b>elieve the best of customers. Donot makethe mistake of assuming most customers are out tosimply get something for nothing. The truth is,less than 1% of customers contact companies withulterior motives in mind.<b>C</b> ommunicate with diplomacy and tact whenyou final answer is o?and when explaining companypolicy.

<b>D</b> on tell a customer she is wrong. Tellinga customer they are wrong never makes them wantto agree with you. It only pushes them moreforcefully into their original position. <p><b>E</b> mpathize with unhappy customers andallow this empathy to season your responses.<b>F</b> ind a way to say yes?to customers.Instead of saying o?or telling the customer whatyou canot do, think critically about what youactually can do.<b>G</b> ive a token item such a coupon as aconcrete form of apology.<b>H</b> ave a sense of urgency. Demonstrate withyour words and speed of response that getting tothe bottom of the problem is just as important toyou as it is to your customer.

<b>I</b> nvolve customers in the problemresolution process. Sometimes it very helpful tosimply ask, how do you see us resolving this??<b>J</b>ot down the customer name and details ofthe problem they are describing so you donot haveto ask the customer to repeat information.<b>K</b> eep customers apprised of your timetableand progress toward resolving their problems.<b>L</b> isten with the intent to trulyunderstand your customer, not with the intent tointerrupt, reply, or correct.<b>M</b> onitor your customer service calls toensure your tone is friendly, helpful andwilling.<b>N</b> egotiate resolutions that balance boththe interests of your company and your customer.

<b>O</b>pen the door with unhappy customers withopen-ended questions. Make your questionsdemonstrate a sincere interest in betterunderstanding the customer problem orexperience.<b>P</b> ut yourself in the customer shoes. Howwould you feel if the exact same problem happenedto you?<b>Q</b> uickly apologize. Apologize both whenthe company is at fault and even when the customeris responsible for the error. An apology goes along way in creating calm, diffusing anger andregaining goodwill.<b>R</b> ecognize that the issue is not the issue.The way the issue is handled becomes the realissue.<b>S</b> ay o?diplomatically and without causingresentment. The best way to do this is to start

out by telling the customer what you can do.<b>T</b> hank customers for their feedback.<b>U</b> p-Service your customers by suggestingproducts or services that enhance the value oftheir current purchase.<b>V</b>iew the customer as the reason for yourwork---not as an interruption to your work.<b>W</b> OW customers.<b>Ex</b> amine the root cause of problems andwork to eliminating problems at the root.<b>Y</b> ou are the company to each customer.Never underestimate your power to influence thecustomer future buying decisions.<b>Z</b>ero in on the customer needs and wants.