QUOTATION 78

BILL GATES ON WHAT YOU CAN LEARN FROM UNHAPPY CUSTOMERS

WHAT TO DO

• As suggested in Quotation 77, you have two ears and one mouth and you should use them in that proportion, especially when dealing with an unhappy customer.
• Train everyone in how to deal with customer complaints, even if the organisation has a specialist complaints team. You can never predict when or where a customer will raise a complaint.
• Make it simple for the customer to speak to or see a living, breathing person and not have to put up with a pre-recorded message or a long wait.
• If you use a call centre, demand that all staff are properly trained and that you/your staff have oversight of that training. Don’t accept the situation where staff simply read from a script.
• If possible, locate the centre within the borders of Great Britain or whichever country you operate from. People don’t want to talk to someone on the other side of the world and they certainly don’t want to divulge sensitive information. Benchmark your service against the service provided by First Direct Bank (see Quotation 82).
• Always acknowledge the customer’s anger and apologise. Don’t become defensive. The criticism isn’t personal.
• More than anything, irate customers want to (a) express their annoyance/anger and (b) have their problem resolved. You can’t resolve the issue until you identify exactly what the issue is. So, listen carefully and, when they have finished, feed back to the customer what you think the problem is, e.g. ‘So what you’re saying is xyz.’
• Ask questions and clarify any issues that are unclear. Unless the conversation is being recorded, keep a note of what is said.
• Ask the customer what they want done to resolve the problem. Many people just want an apology and a replacement product and recompense for any costs they have incurred. This is a small price to pay for placating a customer and maintaining their loyalty.
• If you can’t resolve the problem immediately, tell the customer what you are going to do, when you are going to get back to them and then deliver on your promise.
• If you have done all of the above, then you will have a detailed and accurate record of the complaint. Record that information and analyse it weekly or monthly. Look for:
  • patterns that might indicate a reoccurring problem – if one is spotted, you need to deal with it at source;
  • ideas for how to improve your product/service;
  • ideas for new products;
  • information about what your competitors are doing and products they are developing.

QUESTIONS TO ASK

• How often do I review customer complaints?
• Do I take criticism personally and/or defensively?