Top 7 ways to make disgruntled customers love you!

It’s all part of business life. You can’t keep all of your clients and customers happy all of the time and occasionally one of two … or 50… may become disgruntled. However, this can be a real opportunity. Research has shown that if you fix the problems of disgruntled customers, then they are likely to become the most loyal.

This is not to say that you want to keep all customers. Some, you may decide, are just not worth the effort. However, you may be tossing away a very valuable contact. A client of mine recently told me about a client he has had for years who has been really hard work. He sometimes wondered if it was all worth it. Turned out it was. This client bought a large company and needed my client’s services. Maintaining that relationship proved extremely worthwhile.

1. Fix their problem

They just want it to go away and be right for them so if it is within your power to do this, then do it.

2. Make them feel special

You can do this by spending time, making an effort, talking with them, following up, giving them a key contact person to look after them, or dealing with them yourself. (A little attention can work wonders!)

3. Acknowledge there’s a problem

Don’t try to hide the fact that it happened. You don’t have to admit blame but acknowledge that it happened.

e.g. The people at the car wash sucked my garage fob into the vacuum cleaner when cleaning the car. It wasn’t till I was home that I realized. I drove back and luckily they found it. The main reason I have chosen not to go back to that car wash is because there was no acknowledgement of my experience. All he said was that “that hasn’t happened for a while”. I got my fob back, which was great, but there was no acknowledgment that there was a problem.

4. Admit if you made a mistake and say sorry if appropriate

This one can be debated but research suggests saying sorry works for a lot of people. You can apologise in whatever way suits you.

e.g. “I’m sorry you had that experience.”

e.g. “I’m sorry it didn’t reach you on time.”

e.g. “I’m sorry for the inconvenience caused”

Seek legal advice if unsure, but if it’s not a biggie and you are in the wrong, admit it.

5. Let them vent

It’s usually not personal even if it appears that way so don’t buy into it. Just let them get it off their chest first and don’t argue. When they’ve said their piece and you have established the facts, then you can move into problem solving mode.

6. Give them compensation

Do this if you feel it necessary and/or fair. It can come in many shapes and forms – a refund, upgrade, replacement, price for next purchase, no extra charge till it’s done correctly.

7. Let them know they’ve made a difference to how you do things

Show that they have in fact helped the business and others by bringing this to your attention and you have done something about it. (And follow through on this. Do put systems and processes in place to avoid in future)

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