You might have read our recent blog post on word of mouth marketing where we talked about providing a great customer experience. Unfortunately we aren’t all perfect and we can’t provide a great customer experience 100% of the time. So what can you do when something falls through the cracks and for some reason you let your customers down? There is a way to win your customers back and even transform them into promoters for you. In this article you will learn the steps that you need to follow to achieve this.

I recently received an email from American Airlines that read: “This is a time when apologies aren’t enough”. The email was a great example of how to recover from a situation that creates frustrated customers.

As consumers, many times we are unhappy with the products or services that a company provides, however we are usually open to giving companies a chance to make it up to us.

There is something called service recovery. This is the business term for the process to win a customer back after losing them because you did something wrong. After you have damaged the relationship with your customer, you must act fast and follow these steps if you want a chance to turn that bad experience into an opportunity:

1. Apologize and accept the facts
   First you must let your customer know that you heard their complaint and that you accept your wrongdoing. Be upfront and take responsibility for what happened. Furthermore you must apologize for any damage or trouble that you may have caused. This apology is really a way for your customer to understand that you value them and their experience above all. In the American Airlines email they did a great job of accpeting resposibility.
2. Solve the issue that caused the problem
   Once you have apologized, make sure that you fix the problem. This can mean setting a process in place to avoid the issue from happening again or replacing a defective product or service. Make sure to communicate the fact that you acknowledged the problem and immediately fixed it. At the same time, make sure that the problem is fixed on an ongoing basis and that it won’t happen again to any customer. Although it is difficult to know from the American Airlines email exactly what changes they made, they at least claim to have made changes.
3. Over compensate; make it up to them
   Just like American Airlines said, “Apologies aren’t enough”. By apologizing and fixing the issue, you have basically brought things up to the original point where your service level should have been, but now it’s time to go the extra mile and ensure that your customer is compensated for showing you how to improve and for giving you a second chance. Send them a token of appreciation, whether it is a free product sample, a limited offer or even a hand written note or a call from your top executives. This extra effort will show that you really care and that you want them back! It will wow them and prompt them to tell their friends about the great experience they had with your company.

Following those three simple steps can help you not only get a customer back, but also gain a lifetime evangelist. By showing a customer that you care, you are generating more goodwill than you might think. Once a customer is heard, he feels understood, he feels that you care. The fact that you accept the problem, apologize, and then not only solve the problem but actually go the extra mile to make it up to them will leave a long-lasting positive mark. This type of loyalty is hard to get, but once you have it, you will have a happy customer who will promote your business for years to come.

Picture this: Your auto is in need of repair, so you call your local dealership and schedule service. Upon arriving, you enter a spacious and clean bay where you don’t even need to step out into the elements and the temperature is always 65 degrees. A service advisor, always with a cheerful demeanor, greets you and invites you to come over to his station, where he takes the time to listen to your needs. Instead of just trying to upsell you on every possible service option you get an honest consultation.

You’re then ushered into a luxurious waiting area, where you have your pick of what you would like to do during your wait. You could sit in one of their comfy leather club chairs – with accompanying laptop desks – or use one of their many PC’s (with free Wi-Fi). You could park yourself in their movie-theater style seating area, where you can watch what you want on one of two giant flatscreens. If you brought kids, you could bring them to a playroom, where there are plenty of free toys, books, and activities. Or, you could treat yourself to breakfast or lunch at their cook-to-order cafe. Your service advisor checks in with you periodically, to ensure you’re comfortable and to update you on the status of your vehicle. When finished, they return your car to the same beautiful bay you drove into, so you don’t need to step outside.

Doesn’t sound like your typical experience at a dealership, right? Well that’s a real-life example of the way Boch Honda West, in Westford, Massachusetts, does business. It’s where I have my Honda Accord serviced regularly and upon my first visit I actually said “wow” out loud. I continue to look forward to my service visits because it’s always a great experience. I’m willing to pay the extra cost of dealership service for the great experience I have; and I’ve submitted positive online reviews.

The Boch Auto Group knows I can have my Honda serviced anywhere, so it focuses on setting itself apart by delivering a customer experience like no other service shop. The Auto Group knows it customers and markets itself to customers accordingly. While a small business can’t compete on this scale, there is a lesson to be learned: focus on providing a “wow” moment and you can quickly build customer loyalty and referrals.

So how exactly can a small business owner, with a budget much smaller than an auto group, pull this off? Here are some real-world examples, to hopefully inspire you.

1. Service with a smile. In a previous sales job my employer actually handed out small mirrors for each of the sales reps to hang at their desks. We were trained to smile while speaking, and I can tell you it truly worked. Customers would frequently tell us everyone at our company always seemed to be in a great mood. Projecting a positive demeanor is infectious. Try it during your next personal conversation and you’ll see what I mean. Get customers to feel that when they interact with your business, it’s always a positive, cheerful experience. It is the easiest way to provide an instant “wow” and it’ costs you nothing.

2. Giving more than expected. I recently listened to a radio advertisement for a tailor shop. The ad mentioned that while you’re getting fitted for your suit you can also get a haircut and a shave. They’ve turned the otherwise-boring experience of getting fitted for a suit into a full men’s grooming experience. What other tailor shops offer that?

3. The little things can set you apart. A hair salon in the town I live in offers all evening appointments a big glass of wine to enjoy during their visit. A local seafood restaurant’s take on party mix at their bar is colored Goldfish; I always hear patrons commenting on them and they seem to be a delighter. The jeweler I bought my wife’s engagement ring from sent us a gift, timed to arrive just after the date of my expected proposal. You can get a haircut, seafood, or piece of jewelry anywhere. But these businesses stick in the minds of my wife and I, because they do a little something special which keeps us coming back time after time. And none of those things are breaking the bank for them.

Are you “wowing” your customers? If you’re not sure, think about things from the perspective of your customers. What do they expect when they arrive at your business? Take out a piece of paper and write these down. Then think about one thing you can do that goes above and beyond those expectations. Soon you’ll be working on your own business’ wow moment.

Do you have a favorite business which provides you with a “wow” moment? Share your story, using the reply section below.

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