Tuesday, June 24, 2008 Tabije: When things go wrong By Maeng Tabije Notions Plus
CUSTOMER service is the strategy that organizations -- business or otherwise -- implement in order that their customers have a pleasant and memorable experience in doing business with them. The overarching goal of course is to make the customer satisfied, become a regular patron and spread the word to his circle of friends.
But what if and when things go wrong when a customer deals with you? After all, there is always the Murphy's Law hovering in the air -- "If anything can go wrong, it will." I'm sure you experienced it one time or another -- even the best-laid plans sometimes get awry during implementation.
It is in recognition of such possibility therefore, that you must include a contingency plan in your set of customer service strategies. Let's call it "Recovery" -- how to turn a customer's temporary bad experience to a pleasant one.
Rule: don't panic. Take the mistake as an excellent opportunity to show how great your customer service is. Don't point the blame on anyone or make alibis. The customer is not interested in who made the mistake. Instead, he's more interested on the problem being satisfactorily fixed, at the fastest possible time.
For example, if you run a restaurant and a customer complains that the tuna fish in the sashimi or kinilaw is itchy, what do you do? If the claim is true, immediately apologize sincerely and assure them that it will be fixed immediately and that they won't be charged for the order. While waiting, offer them salad, wine, etc., on the house, too.
What if all the stocks of tuna in your fridge are itchy? Go out of your way and order the same sashimi or kinilaw from another nearby restaurant. Fast. And ensure that the food is in excellent condition -- you absolutely don't need a second complaint from the same customer.
As much as possible, the highest-ranking supervisor present in the restaurant should be the one to deal with the customer in such contingency situations.
With this strategy, the customer will not mind the temporary inconvenience. In fact, they will most likely tell people about the "happy ending" of their dinner episode in your restaurant.
See how you can turn a bad situation to your advantage?
So don't worry when something goes wrong. With the right strategy, you can recover fast from a very embarrassing situation. And be sure that all your staff members know exactly how you want to deal with different contingencies so the recovery moves run efficiently.
If you can give your customers a good feeling in whatever circumstance, then you are well on your way to more success.
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Brainteaser: Before Mt. Everest was discovered, what was the highest mountain in the world? (Answer next Tuesday).
(Ismael D. Tabije, MBM, is an International Consultant on Management. Email feedback to idtabije@yahoo.com.)
