Check out how we turned this very upset client into a referral machine.
WHAT!?! Your Clients aren’t thrilled with the cleaning they receive 100% of the time? Well join the club! Unfortunately it’s part of doing business, and for many of us it’s one of the worst parts. But it doesn’t have to be.
Having a strategy for managing the less-than-glowing feedback we all get can make the difference between dreading opening up your email and business as usual. When you understand the true reason behind those complaints, your response becomes easy to deliver with confidence–and it’s deceptively simple!
Check out how we turned this very upset client from not trusting us or wanting to work with us at all into a referral machine. She routinely sends clients to us pre-sold. All we have to do is basically have them sign the dotted line. Almost makes us thankful we left that door unlocked!
The simple TAT apology: Thank – Apologize – Thank is one of the most effective apology structures there are. Did you even know there were structures? There are, and this one is simple and effective the vast majority of the time!
Customer Email:
Mindy,
Cancel my service immediately! I AM FURIOUS!! I got home late from work today to find my front door wide open! John is out of town right now so I had to walk into a dark house with absolutely no security. I really feel you put my life in danger and that your customers are not what is important – you are just trying to make a buck off me at any expense. Did they even TRY to close it? When I got in the house I was even more upset to see that it doesn’t even look like they vacuumed at all. Return my key immediately.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Johnson [not her real name]
Our Response:
Mrs. Johnson,
I was horrified to read this email first thing today! Thank you so much for taking the time to put it all down on paper when I’m sure the last thing you wanted to do was anything involving OUR COMPANY. I am personally so very sorry that you had to go through this experience. I can’t imagine how scary it must have been to come home after a long day and then not even be able to walk into your own home. I’m not sure that I would have been able to stay there at all that night. I will have your key hand delivered today to the location of your choosing, but I do have to say that I hate having to do it. You have been one of our best Clients for the last 3 years and it pains me to have treated you in such a manner. Thank you again for being honest with us and giving us the opportunity to find out what happened so I can make sure this never happens again for anyone else. I’m sure every Client we have would thank you as well. I will talk to the Team before I call you for the key drop-off location so that I can have the full story for you, it’s the least I can do.
All my best to you,
- Mindy
That phone call 3 hours later was another TAT Apology that culminated with us keeping her key, her keeping the same Team Members and deciding that we took her seriously and saw her as an important part of our Team. Three years later, she still sends us the BEST referrals!
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If you struggle with how to react when things don’t go the way they are supposed to, you may be interested in our Foundations Fast Track class Being Reactive: Common Complaints & Service Recovery.
Each class is only $149, but if you buy BEING REACTIVE: COMMON COMPLAINTS & SERVICE RECOVERY before Sept. 7, 2016, you get 25% OFF. Just enter the code RESPONSE in the DISCOUNT BOX at checkout.
