Not every customer will be a satisfied one. But by embracing complaints and learning from them, your company might build its brand in the long run.
Tales of poor customer service are a lot like fishing stories: Everyone has one, and the scope often balloons with each retelling.
For example, I recently ordered a new mattress that had to be delivered. The delivery date arrived, but my mattress didn't. After calling the company and waiting on hold for 45 minutes, I was told to expect the mattress the next day. One day later, it was still MIA. I repeated this exercise to no avail. It wasn't until I aired my frustrations on Twitter that I received a response—and a promptly delivered bed.
Plenty of customers never experience this sort of satisfying conclusion. That shortcoming became abundantly clear when Edison Research and I surveyed 2,000 American consumers in 2015 for my book Hug Your Haters. Each of those consumers reported they had complained about a company in the past year via phone, email, social media, 3D Video Production Service review sites or message boards, but roughly a third of our respondents said their complaints went unanswered.
Despite this fact, many companies feel customer service is their strength. This might sound conflicting, but it's also understandable. Many companies ignore their haters, dismissing complaints as outliers. But I suggest you stop tuning out criticism—and start embracing the invaluable feedback.
Face Your FEARS