We have already talked about how to fulfill a sales promise and exceed your customer's expectations, but what should you do when, for reasons of force majeure, a promise, however good it may have been, cannot be fulfilled?
Before advising you on how to handle a default situation, let's consider what it means for a customer not to deliver on the promise of sale. The costs are high and of various types:
- Economic: This ranges from loss of money to additional investment for having to go to another establishment, in addition to the valuable time lost. Social: Bad image before work, family, friends, etc. Emotional: Customer discomfort, frustration and physical exhaustion.
Suppose a customer orders a kitchen that doesn't arrive on time, but has already hired the plumber for installation; You will have to pay her for doing nothing and, surely, go back to spending when she really receives it. In addition, it could be that she asked for a day off from work, or a permit to receive the product at home, which did not happen. There are explosive customers who become so irritated that they experience anxiety or discomfort with the company that did not keep its promise.
In order for a customer to reconsider buying back from a vendor who did not deliver on their promise to sell, the costs of noncompliance need to be eliminated or minimized, and this is accomplished using timely communication.
The least that a client of a company that did not fulfill the promised service expects is to be informed as far in advance as possible. If you call to warn that, unfortunately and for reasons beyond your control, you cannot deliver the order on time, the customer can reduce or make disappear the costs that this could generate (call the plumber to come another day, or cancel the day of leave you had requested, for example).
It is important to clarify that reporting the breach will prevent the client from being bothered, but it will not be as great as if he found out at the end of the day or had no knowledge of what is happening. The only condition for the notice to have the desired impact on the client is that the call leaves the service provider, because if it is the client who calls, you will experience the feeling of doubt and deception and may even think that our arguments are false.. In short, you must call the customer before he does.
It is possible to exceed customer expectations if you establish communication channels to keep them informed about the status of shipping, order or service. This will raise customer confidence in your business. What would you think as a customer if the company that sells a product calls you at eight in the morning to confirm that the truck is leaving with your order at that time? Would he not be more than satisfied or less worried? Yes, of course, and I can assure you that clients respond very favorably to this reinforcing communication.
This call is important when leaving the customer service provider and not vice versa, the impact is much more positive when you call to say that the order is on the way than when it is the customer who calls asking what happens.
Using communication with your client to warn that a sales promise cannot be fulfilled or to confirm that it will be possible to fulfill it, will help to inspire confidence in the client in your business and by trusting the service provider, they will be able to spend less time, money and effort to obtain the good or service you requested and for which you paid.
If you are aware that the most important asset for the customer is their time, using communication with them will allow you to optimize it because you will know that your company is calling you to confirm the fulfillment of the promise to sell or to inform you that this will not be possible.
Regardless of what type of product or service you sell, use communication with your customers and you will notice how their perception of the service you offer will improve considerably, as will your sales.
