Consider the following scenario: You smile as you unlock the front door of your jewellery store, ready to greet the hordes of happy customers who will visit you today.
Then reality hits you in the face when an angry customer demands satisfaction.
Welcome to modern retail! Everyone seems to be in a bad mood. We are a product of the world that we live in.
Those cranky customers can be anyone. We’ve all been not-so-nice customers at one time or another.
Most sour customers are just nice people who are having a really bad day; you just happen to be the one they decide to take their frustrations out on.
If you’re in the retail business, then unhappy customers are a daily fact of life. When faced with one, you can choose to react or to respond.
If you merely react, the customer will most likely stay unhappy; however, if you choose to respond in a concerned and professional manner, you can turn that raging lion of a customer into a loyal lamb.
Understand that an angry customer may be reacting to what they imagine will happen when they present you with a problem.
This is part of the emotional baggage every customer brings with them to your store. If the customer is a complete jerk, do yourself a big favour and get them off the sales floor and into a private area.
Whatever the circumstances within your jewellery store, the following five principles will serve you well.
1. Allow the customer to get the problem off their chest.
When customers are unhappy about something, they tend to rehearse what they are going to say over and over on the way to your store. By the time they get there, their anger is at its peak.
If you try to fix the problem without first letting the customer vent, they are likely to wait for a break in the conversation
and start telling their story again.
Offer your hand and introduce yourself.
Using the customer’s name tends to have a calming effect.
Listen carefully and attentively to the customer’s entire story and don’t interrupt! Stay calm.
You set the tone for the rest of the conversation. Finally, offer a courtesy apology, even if you’re not responsible for the issue.
2. Ask questions to help determine what you should do next.
When you ask questions, people think you care about them, and they will respond more positively.
Ask the customer open-ended questions that cannot be answered with a simple “yes” or “no”. You start with saying, “When did you first notice this problem?”
Open-ended questions require the customer to talk, which is a good thing because it helps them slow down and refocus. Smile, make eye contact, and nod as the customer tells their story.
3. Ask the customer what they would like you to do for them.
Most customers are not unreasonable; they just want you to fix the problem. Ask, “What would you like me to do for you today?”
Then tell the customer exactly what you will do on their behalf.
Take responsibility. If it’s a problem you can fix on the spot, then fix it.
If the problem requires further action on your part, explain the steps you will take and tell the customer when you will get back to them.
And make sure that you follow through!
4. Take it one step further and‘do one more thing’ for the customer.
That one more thing is an olive branch that you offer in good faith. It doesn’t matter what you offer; it’s the gesture that counts.
A small gift card, a free cleaning or even an inexpensive gift will work wonders.
5. Follow up to make sure the customer is satisfied.
According to The Technical Assistance Research Programs Institute (TARP), up to 70 per cent of unhappy customers will do business with you again, and up to 95 per cent will return if you fix the problem quickly.
It’s in your best interest to follow up. A simple call, text, or better yet, a handwritten note will do the trick. Don’t take it personally!
Sometimes that’s easier said than done; however, remember you are not the cause of the customer’s frustration.
Don’t expect to win them all. Do your best not to let an angry customer ruin your entire day or affect the next customer.
Make sure everyone in your business understands how to handle an unhappy customer.
Host a staff meeting using this article as the agenda. Ask your employees to think of a situation involving an unhappy customer, then ask what they did to resolve the problem.
Customers don’t expect you to be perfect; however, they do expect you to fix things when they go wrong.
Solving their problems is proof that your jewellery store is a trusted partner. It’s that trust that will keep them coming back for more.
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