Silence is Not Golden: Customer Rage

We all know that keeping customers happy is the key to a successful business. Sure, sometimes it's a challenge. One of the key areas of complaint is actually how the complaint itself is handled. It's one thing to have an unhappy customer. It's another to get the customer even more upset by not handling the complaint in a "satisfactory" manner.

A recent survey of customer households by the Customer Care Alliance found that an increasing number of Americans (73 percent of those with a product or service problem) are extremely upset about how "serious" complaints are being handled by companies. In fact, the CCA has termed this dissatisfaction as "customer rage". On the other hand, only 16 percent felt completely satisfied or received more than they asked for.

What do they want? After having a product repaired or service fixed, the overwhelming majority don't want something free or other compensation. Instead, they want an explanation why the problem occurred (78 percent), assurance that it won't happen again (78 percent), an apology (59 percent) and/or a chance to vent (58 percent).

Here's the problem: what they wanted didn't happen. For example, only 38 percent got a chance to vent and 25 percent got an apology. Fewer got an assurance for the future or explanation.

As a result, more than half of all respondents with problems decided never to do business with the company again or threatened to talk with the company's management. Ninety percent shared the story with friends or others.

Another major complaint in problem resolution is "ping-ponging" the customer. Unfortunately, we've all been victims of this. That's when you come into contact with a customer service rep that either a) isn't given the authority to resolve issues, b) isn't trained properly or worse yet, or c) both. The customer gets "ping-ponged" from person to person, even department to department until someone can provide any form of solution.

Although this survey was based on consumer purchase problems, all businesses can also learn from it. After all, we are dealing with people first. The survey verifies the idea customers don't become dissatisfied because of problems. It's the way the problem is handled that will determine if they become dissatisfied. When you "tick" people off, brand or company loyalty can be ruined by not handling a complaint effectively.

What's amazing is that you don't need to spend lots of time and money resolving these problems. According to the survey, monetary solutions of discounts and refunds are not necessarily the solutions.

What can you do? Develop a real plan for problem resolution. Resolving problems requires different skills from providing sales oriented information. Putting the wrong person in front of your customers is ineffective with enormous costs. Add the loss of the lifetime value of a customer to the cost hiring and replacing an employee and you'll take one heck of a hit on the bottom line.

Because customer service starts with the customer service representative and not every employee hired to manage customer dissatisfaction is suited to the task, online assessments like SELECT Associate System and FirstView Job Fit can tell you in just minutes if a candidate has a positive customer attitude, how they handle frustration and raging customers, and even if they will show up for work.

How crucial is putting the right people in customer service jobs? You tell me. More than half of all respondents to the survey mentioned earlier decided against doing business with the company again. Ninety percent of respondent admitted to complaining about the experience to friends, family, neighbors and anyone else willing to listen.

Even people with the right attitude don’t always satisfy customers. Sure, it’s fine to teach people to be “nice” and “good listeners.” But, excellent customer service goes beyond a friendly smile and answering all phone calls within three rings. That’s because the reasons for customer dissatisfaction are as varied as the people complaining. Yet, many customer service representatives address all problems the same way. In customer service, cookie-cutter tactics don’t work.

The right people also need skills. Make sure all employees with contact with your customers are well trained to listen, give apologies when appropriate and have the authority to offer solutions.Then, let your customers know that you have a trained staff for solving problems. Instead of customers calling sales people, their managers and the top company management, urge customers to deal with your best of class customer service staff. Even if they call you directly, tell them you're personally going to refer them to the best person for this matter! Of course, if you want to handle these matters, you should get training too.

Finally, even though the survey says that customers aren't looking for any compensation for the problem, a follow up to the problem resolution is a nice touch. A hand written note or a small gift can go a long way. After all, you know how good it feels to get a thank you note after a meeting or a new major purchase. It's no different when a problem arises. For example, imagine if you received a plant with a personalized message after having a problem with a company. You would probably be even more favorably impressed with how they handled the problem. Although you would tell others about the problem, you'd probably end with a very positive remark. Contact a promotional products professional to discuss how to turn raging customers into raving fans.

To paraphrase a famous advertising campaign, "Only you can prevent customer rage."

Excellent customer service starts with speaking to each customer in a "language" he or she understands. A language that everyone understands is DISC, the universal behavioral model.

Is there a best behavioral style for customer service? The simple answer is that each style is the best when used at the right time…and the worst when used at the wrong time. Therefore the best style is SITUATIONAL. Flexibility is the essential core competency required from customer service employees. Interpersonal skills, listening skills, emotional stability, organization, and follow through are important, too. Good analytical and root cause analysis skills don’t hurt either. The key to customer service excellence is the best customer service employees intuitively understand which styles to apply at the right time and with the right intensity.

By way of example, let’s look at four responses to a customer complaint. Each scenario represents one of the four behavioral styles identified through DISC. As you continue reading, picture in your mind each scenario. Recognize people you know who fit each of the styles? Remember, each employee believes the response given is the appropriate one. We start with style D, the assertive employee.

“Just tell me the problem and I’ll take care of it right now,” says the employee with a high “D” behavioral style. No beating around the bush. On the plus side, high D employees listen to the complaint and quickly offer a solution. This person is perfect when customer service means getting to the point, fixing the problem, and moving on to the next customer. But bear in mind that assertive behavioral type employees are impatient and relationship building is secondary to fixing the problem. Never put an employee who exhibits high “D” behavior across the counter from the customer who wants to vent. If you do, this customer service representative may cut-off the customer mid-rant.

Let’s move on to the “I” behavioral type. “I “ represents the influencer. This customer service representative offers explanations, over and over again. It’s next to impossible for a customer, who is lucky to get a word in edgewise, to vent. The influencer offers assurances, often not knowing if the promises can be fulfilled. Influencers measure results by good intentions. They trade on creating relationships, sharing personal information as a routine part of a customer service call. When the conversation winds down, the influencer may have to ask a customer to restate the problem. “I’m sorry, what was your problem again?” she says. “I have had so much fun talking; I forgot to write it down.” As an employer, you have to make a choice. Do you want customer service staff to satisfy customer complaints or make friends with disgruntled customers? I behavioral types often are the naturals at communicating but the least likely to track the details and follow through, without a conscious effort to do so.

Next is the “S” behavioral type, born to serve mankind, or so it appears. This person gets energy from cooperation. She is easy going, reserved, and listens well; a behavioral style most compatible with customers who need to vent. The “S” behavioral type employee easily builds endorsement, making it comfortable for an unhappy customer to speak freely. “Have we (note “we”, not “I”) successfully resolved your problem?”, asks the high “S” behavioral type employee. This person gets energy from bringing closure to what she starts, so follow-up is a natural extension of a service call. However, this behavioral style is exhausted by confrontation and may go to great lengths to avoid any type of conflict.

Finally, we get to the “C” behavioral type, as identified by CriteriaOne DISC. High “C” behavioral type employees are evaluators. They need to understand everything about everything. The employee with this behavioral style makes sure the problem never happens again. He provides a minutely detailed product history including product evolution and repair record. This customer service representative believes failure to read directions is the root cause of most problems. Skeptical to the core, the high “C” employee goes through instructions line-by-line to rule out operator error. Because accuracy is important, questions must be answered in order. This customer service representative wants to assign blame, although it’s important that the right person (who may be the customer) or department is identified as the culprit.

Ira Wolfe founded Success Performance Solutions to help business owners hire and keep productive employees. He is a nationally recognized speaker and author for “Understanding Business Values and Motivators” and “The Perfect Labor Storm”. His full range of products and services includes pre-employment tools SELECT, FirstView Job Fit and CounterProductive Behavior Index. Ira is easy to reach at 717.656.4632.