1. Stop and Think
Responding to negative feedback gives you the chance to change a customer’s mind about your company. Offering a response that displays care and compassion may be able to diffuse a situation and turn a bad customer experience into a great one. Before you offer that response analyze the problem, plan how you’re going to address the situation, and have a game plan in place before you respond to the customer. You don’t want to act rashly and make things ever worse. If the customer has posted feedback publicly, a response that wins him over may prompt him to remove his review and continue to use your call center.
2. Respond to Feedback
The more quickly you can defuse an issue, the better. Strive to keep feedback private and handle matters offline as much as you can. If someone leaves negative feedback online, such as on Facebook or Twitter, offer a public apology and explain that you’re looking into the problem. Whenever possible move the follow up discussion onto a private channel. Once it has been resolved, post a brief summary on social media so that fellow customers receive assurance that you took care of the problem in a timely, appropriate fashion.
3. Remain Calm
No matter how frustrated you are with a customer, it is important to maintain great customer service. There is really no better opportunity to demonstrate top-notch service than when you’re faced with negative feedback. Pay attention to the specific comments from the customer and the issue at hand to form your response. Start by apologizing and thanking a customer for their comments to show them that you care. Then address the ways you will solve or fix the issue. You may also want to offer an incentive, such as a discount or free item to ensure the customer will try your product or service again.
4. Keep Promises
Many customers are willing to excuse a single bad experience. However, they are more likely to share with friends and family if the issue happens again. It is critical that you keep the promises you make. For example, if you assure that customers will not have to wait on hold during peak shopping hours, you need to follow through and keep extra employees on hand. A single review is bad enough. Think about how much worse the situation will become when a customer edits an online review or comment to explain that the negative situation has occurred again, despite promises that the issue would be remedied.
5. Learn Something
Many customers share their negative reviews because they want to warn other potential customers. If you’ve been treated poorly or received terrible service, the last thing that you want is for others to have the same experience. Knowing that the company has considered the feedback and is taking a proactive role in making improvements pleases customers. Learn from your mistakes and continue to improve the situation. Customers will notice and your call center will thrive.
6. Follow Up
When a customer lets you know about an issue and you’re able to fix it, ultimately you’ve done something to improve your business. As such, the customer deserves an appropriate follow up response. You should always start with a “thank you.” Sometimes you may want to go on step further and explain in detail that you really appreciate the feedback and review the changes you will make. Follow up emails are great for two reasons; they can further nurture a customer relationship and defuse any situation.
Ultimately to run a successful business, you have to view customer feedback in a positive light. Call center reviews can provide insight into the aspects of your company that need improvement and give you the opportunity to fix it. Take the time to appropriately manage poor customer feedback to grow your call center.
This article was originally published by TTI Houston
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