Why are my customers unhappy?
It may seem a simple question, but taking the time to answer it can drastically improve your customer relations and the quality of life of your customer relations team.
This butterfly effect even has a name: symmetry of attention.
This concept is developed by Charles Ditandy and Benoît Meyronin in their book "Du management au marketing des services".
The authors present this now-famous theory to explain the symmetrical relationship between customer satisfaction and employee satisfaction.
It may sound obvious, but if your customers are satisfied with your services, they'll have an empathetic relationship with your company and be more inclined to accept minor delays.
As a result, your customer teams will have fewer unhappy customers to deal with, and a better quality of life at work.
But back to our main topic: what to do when faced with an unhappy customer?
Unhappy customers: tensions at every level
Faced with an unhappy customer, it can be hard to keep your cool. Not only can the problem be difficult to resolve, but an angry person is also a source of stress and panic. Would you like to adopt the right attitude to maintain good customer relations? Would you like to teach your customer service team how to keep calm and respond calmly to a complaint? In this article, we'll help you understand the sources of dissatisfaction and how to deal with your unhappy customers.
What are the consequences of customer dissatisfaction?
Why shouldn't you leave a customer dissatisfied after an interaction with your company? "To avoid losing them" is the obvious answer, but the consequences can be much more serious.
A lower retention rate
In today's highly competitive world, one bad experience with a customer is often enough to lose them. Depending on the situation, your most loyal customers may even leave you. It takes just as long to turn your customers into brand ambassadors as it does to disappoint them. According to the Temkin Group survey, 86% of consumers who have had a pleasant experience with a company are likely to repeat their purchase, compared with 13% of those who have had a bad experience. Dealing with unhappy customers is therefore essential to your company's long-term success.
A damaged brand image
For a company, negative reviews are devastating. In 2019, IFOP observed that 47% of French people have already given up buying a product or service following damage to a company's reputation.
Generally speaking, the 1% of customers who speak up are unhappy customers. The problem is that most of them don't come and talk to you directly: they prefer to publish online. That's why it's essential to monitor reviews on the Internet (websites, blogs, social networks, etc.). On these pages, where thousands of anonymous people can write whatever they like at any time, your reputation is put to the test. It's up to you to monitor your social networks and respond to opinions, both negative and positive, in order to improve your brand image. However, you can't stop consumers telling their friends and family about their bad experiences.
How do you deal with an unhappy customer?
Dealing with unhappy customers is an intrinsic part of customer service. Every company has to deal with this type of situation. Here are a few tips for maintaining good customer relations despite the difficulties.
Taking the problem into account
The worst thing for a dissatisfied customer is ignorance. When they send a complaint by e-mail, when they raise a concern with management, they need an answer as soon as possible. If you decide to bury your head in the sand, you can be sure that even a loyal customer will never set foot with you again. You also need to be careful not to invalidate their problem, because this problem, whether it seems important or insignificant to you, exists for them. If your customers are unhappy, it's for a reason they feel is valid. Customer service must find a solution and respond. If you can't respond, there are several ways to compensate a dissatisfied customer (voucher, discount...). In all cases, give a well-founded explanation and a brief note of apology.
Thanks to callbot
If your customers have multiple ways of reaching you and complaining: telephone, e-mail, contact form... Not all of these means have the same "empathy"!
That's why bots are becoming more and more common in companies with a strong need to handle inbound customer requests.
The first virtue is availability: consumers can contact your company at any time using a chatbot(conversational agent by text) or callbots(conversational agent by telephone). These are artificial intelligence tools that handle customer requests 24/7. They can also record conversations and forward messages to the right department. The simplest requests can be handled in a personalized way with a bot, and complex requests with a human agent / advisor. It's up to you to find the best balance to save time!
Need an example?
If there's one area where customers are unhappy when they call, it's insurance. Water damage, accidents, theft... So many reasons to be on the defensive when they call. Insurance chatbots and callbots help to free up the time of customer relations teams, enabling them to focus on the customers who need the mostassistance.
Demonstrate empathy
Bear in mind that, most of the time, the complaint is not directed at the person handling it. The customer has a grudge against the company, a service, the product... not against the agent answering. When faced with an angry person, you have to put your own emotions aside and step back from the situation. In the same way, customer satisfaction depends on the absence of judgment. A customer can be fussy, impatient, slow... but you have to accept them as they are.
Remember, an emotional person can't talk. They'll want to get a message across, but won't be able to listen, which is why you need to calm them down before you can work out a solution with them. Showing empathy is a good way of showing you understand her. Put yourself in her shoes BEFORE you put yourself in the company's shoes. "I understand how you feel...", "I imagine this must be a problem..." then "The clause in our contract states that...", "For technical reasons, this solution is unthinkable...". If the customer feels understood, he'll be more likely to accept the company's explanations and solution. Finally, don't forget to end the exchange on a positive note!
Understanding why my customers are unhappy
To find a solution, we need to analyze the problem. The first question to ask is: why are my customers dissatisfied? Delayed delivery, product failure, support problems... We'll help you identify the causes of dissatisfaction and adapt your approach to the following types of customer.
The litigious customer
Rather cold or aggressive, the proceduralist is very factual. He insists on the details that can work against you, not hesitating to scrutinize contracts and legal texts. He prefers to write by e-mail, so as to keep a record of the conversation. With this type of person, there's no need to apologize. It's better to remain transparent and act quickly, so as not to drag out the exchange.
The opportunistic customer
This is a dissatisfied customer who deliberately makes an exaggerated or non-conforming claim. They often want financial or material compensation. Ask for proof (photos, invoice, etc.) to verify that the claim is well-founded. If it isn't, it's better to give him something, because he could go and harm you if he leaves empty-handed.
The emotional customer
This disgruntled customer plays on emotion, insisting on his disappointment and the disastrous consequences of his problem. He wants to feel special towards a company. It's best to go along with him, ask what he wants from you and make a commercial gesture if possible. Don't forget to thank him, and be formal in your approach.
The sincere customer
It's the easiest to deal with, because it's rational and doesn't seek to abuse your customer service. He simply wants to pinpoint a real problem, which can help you identify your weaknesses. Take the time to listen to him, apologize and thank him for his constructive advice.
