One of the largest companies in the world, Apple manufactures the most desired cell phones by everyone and, according to its own users, they are top-quality products and most of them are deeply satisfied. However, there are still those dissatisfied customers, and the reasons are diverse, whether due to a technical fault, software failure or even for some trivial reasons, many times they do not know how to handle the products or use them improperly.
In a restaurant, for example, your customers may be dissatisfied for a number of reasons: rice that was not at the temperature they like, a steak that was undercooked, beans that were over seasoned, or juice that was lukewarm due to an oversight. All of these problems are situations that can occur in your establishment, but they may not be routine. However, they are situations that lead to dissatisfaction among some customers.
And look, before I present you with the list of 7 steps, I’m going to tell you something: one of the main attributes you must have to avoid this type of situation as much as possible in your business is knowing how to obtain a high level of satisfaction from your customers .
But what are the 7 steps to dealing with an unsatisfied customer in your store?
1. Keep calm and be patient;
The customer is everything, isn’t he? Therefore, even though it may be difficult at times, staying calm when faced with a problem and being patient (LOTS OF PATIENCE!) is very important for the balance between both parties.
2. Explain the situation (calmly, once again);
Putting on the “shoes of humility” and listening to EVERYTHING the customer has to say makes all the difference. People often prefer to react first before listening, but the most important thing is to fully understand the problem and understand it from the customer’s point of view.
Caring about your customer is not a difficult task, and once you genuinely care about what they think about your business, it is much easier to solve all the problems.
3. Empathize with your customer;
After any disagreement between a department of your establishment and a customer, they want to know if you understood everything they wanted to say about what was presented. Try to be friendly and, if you can help them with the issue they have raised, let them know that it will be forwarded to the appropriate department for prompt resolution.
4. Find a solution;
Once you understand why your customer is dissatisfied, it is time to offer the best solution. Why the best? Because there was wear and tear, and if the solution is not the best possible, there is a chance that the customer will look for another service that offers better solutions.
Ask him what he thinks should be done or come up with your own solution to the problem. Usually, hearing a fair solution to the problem is all he wants to hear.
5. Focus on the problem
Your customer is more important than the problem. Therefore, focusing on the customer first and foremost will help you tune in to what the customer wants to say and then resolve the objection. It can also help you stay calm during the situation while the customer vents his or her frustrations.
6. Don’t be so serious;
You may feel fake and have to fake it, but forcing a smile is a great way to calm someone who is upset. Of course, it is not advisable to smile when a customer is telling you something serious that they did not like, but when you or your employees are speaking, it is essential to give them a friendly smile, which means that you are willing to solve the problem they are having.
7. Train your team;
Last but not least, I talked about some important actions that the owner, manager and all other employees need to know to deal with an unhappy customer. But for this to become a reality, all sectors that work with this direct relationship with consumers need to be aware of everything that needs to be done so that these customers feel satisfied with a resolved problem.
Take some time during the week – or month – and talk to your employees about everything you read here, in books, in videos and share the experiences you have gained.
Bonus tip: take time for yourself;
For you or any employee in your establishment, it is important that, after a situation has been resolved and the customer is satisfied, you take some time to breathe and release the adrenaline of that moment. Even if you have resolved the problem in the most professional way possible, go to a quiet place, or go talk about something with a friend, employee or even on the street corner, even if it is just for five minutes, and then you will be ready to engage with your customers again.
Be careful, there will be situations where nothing can be done to reverse the situation of an unhappy customer. If at that moment, the person in charge of the situation is a lower-ranking employee, the important thing is that at that moment the employee forwards the situation to the manager or owner of the establishment to resolve.
