In this sphere particularly, but sales and commerce as a whole, customer service is truly lacking. It seems that everyone wants something for nothing in this day and age. We, as a business even, have been the recipient of poor customer service more times than not. To the point that when we receive even AVERAGE customer service, it stands out.
We have a couple customer service rules that we live by.
#1 If the customer cares enough to take the time to contact you about a complaint, they deserve for that issue to become your priority #1 until it is resolved.
#2 If a customer cares enough to take the time to contact you about an issue, then they care enough to leave a poor review. It's always more expensive to pass the buck then it is to simply own the issue and fix it. Often you will not even truly realize how expensive it is because it is in the form of customers that you never receive.
#3 A complaint or issue is the BEST way to blow your competition out of the water. While everyone makes mistakes, your competition is squirming and trying to pass the buck onto the customer. Take the time to not only fix the issue for your customer but also IMPROVE the situation if possible.
#4 ALWAYS make your first solution the most beneficial to your customer. If your second or third solution is better, they will want to hold out for more. Do not waste your customers time by trying to save a buck. Consider it to be a form of advertising and pay up for the results you want.
#5 Make sure that customer knows that you are their #1 priority with the solution through your actions. You will gain far more customers from these customers because honesty, good communication, and even better business practices are rare in these days.
#6 BE ACCESSIBLE. Nothing makes a customer more upset than having to waste more time than the issue is worth to attempt to resolve it. If you have ever attempted to file a complaint with USPS, UPS, or any other major shipping company, you will understand this. It is a strategy... just not a winning strategy in my opinion.
We HIGHLY encourage our customers to contact us with questions, complaints, and our favorite of course, things we did well. We cannot improve without your feedback!
THANK-YOU!