Don’t
Be a Softie…Squeak!
I advocate
living in an appreciative manner. It spreads goodwill
and attracts good service.
But wait! I’m not suggesting you simply float
in a cloud of good feelings hoping that everyone serves
you well.
Sometimes you get bad service. And when that
happens to you, squeak! Why? Because the old
saying is true: the squeaky wheel gets the grease.
When you need more attention, better help, stronger
support or valid compensation, here’s what you
can do:
1. Get your facts
straight. Put them down in writing, avoiding the
temptation to inflate or exaggerate your claims.
2. Speak or write
to someone who can help. Over the phone, be sure
you talk with someone who can make things happen (sometimes
a secretary can get things done more quickly than a
manager). When writing, send your letter to a ‘real
person’, not to a faceless ‘Office of Customer
Affairs’.
3. Explain your
situation. Detail the problem, specify your request
(be reasonable here), and give a timeline for receiving
a reply (10–14 days is fair in most situations).
4. Escalate your
communication. If you do not get a response by
the given date explain that you will promptly complain
to the President, General Manager or Managing Director.
Don’t make it sound like a threat, but let them
know you are ready to do what’s necessary to get
the satisfaction you require.
5. Take even stronger
action. Loyal customers are important to every
business, so your chances of being well attended are
getting better all the time. However, in the unlikely
event you do not get the satisfaction you deserve, then
take stronger action.
Write to your local newspaper, contact the Better Business
Bureau, send out a message to your friends and colleagues,
tell the competition, or even get more ‘creative’
with the nature and the style of your complaint.
I’ve seen customers create and pay for negative
newspaper ads, websites, pickets, boycotts and PowerPoint
presentations that spread like a virus.
While I am not advocating antagonism for its own sake,
when you need attention and it’s not forthcoming,
you gotta do what you gotta do.
Key Learning Point
When you want a
response, reaction or rapid resolution to a service problem,
be sure your voice is heard. Remember, complaining about
lousy service helps businesses to improve. If they don't
pay attention to what's going wrong, they'll just keep
doing it to others.
Action Steps
Follow the five
steps listed the next time you have a service problem.
And keep track of the details: your complaint, their response
and the ultimate resolution. If they do a good
job, be sure to let them know. Stop squeaking, and start
speaking, with praise.
Next Article in Customer Service Recovery >>
Managing Customer Complaints
First Article in Customer Service Standards >>
Get Yourself Spring-Loaded
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Ron Kaufman is an internationally acclaimed customer service training educator for quality service.
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