I was watching a story on the local news in which a reporter was bashing a travel agent. The travel agency didn’t refund the fees paid by a group of seniors who had had their trip canceled due to a mistake by the travel agency. That one news report probably will hurt this travel agent’s business for a long time.
How your business handles complaints will make the difference between keeping clients and losing them.
Handling complaints quickly and professionally will prevent the spread of negative reports about your business. If you fail to handle complaints quickly and professionally, many people will hear about it and may never give your business a chance.
Smart businesses offer strong guarantees to eliminate this worry. The stronger your guarantee, the more confident that people will feel when the time comes for them to decide whether or not to do business with you.
The most effective guarantee that you can offer is a “100% money back, no questions asked” guarantee. Most importantly, you absolutely must honor this guarantee when the time comes.
Depending on the industry that you are in, it sometimes may be impossible for you to offer a “100% guarantee.” However, you should still offer the best guarantee that you possibly can.
In addition, you should have step-by-step policies and procedures in place to handle complaints when they arise. The sooner that you get these complaints resolved, the better.
If a client is unhappy with you or, even worse, is mad at you, then s/he will spread the word to others. You will lose valuable clients and the profits that they generate.
What procedures do you have in place to handle any complaint with the utmost efficiency?
What guarantees can you offer?