Satisfying the customer is a complex matter, because it involves knowing and, at least, meeting their expectations, subjective and different from any other. However, when a customer has experienced a service issue that caused a complaint, a great opportunity opens to build loyalty. Are you taking advantage of it?
A recent study led by Customer Care Measuring & Consulting, gives us two highly relevant data in this regard.
The first of them says that customers who complain (and have not yet had their problem solved) are 12% less loyal to the brand than those who do not complain. However, when that claim is satisfactorily resolved, the effect is the opposite, and 21% higher loyalty is achieved. In other words, a customer who has complained and has successfully resolved their problem will be more loyal than a customer who has not had any problems with the service.
Do you see the opportunity? Not everything is lost when something goes wrong with your service. But of course, it would be very easy to "plant" problems and then solve them and win customer loyalty, right? Sounds like a very strange strategy… why doesn't anyone apply it?
It's simple. Successfully solving a claim costs money. You must invest resources to recover a client. If you are not willing to do it, it is better to let it go.
You cannot pretend to maintain a profitable transaction after a problem for which you were responsible. What you have to aim for is a profitable long-term relationship. If this is your focus, go ahead! I have better news for you.
Companies that invest money in managing their clients' complaints and claims have an invaluable resource at their fingertips. That same study reveals it, since they have analyzed the type of compensation offered to customers, which produced a great finding.
Customer loyalty can be doubled, only by adding non-monetary rewards to material damages. Yes, it has been shown that 74% of clients have been satisfied when they have been offered both types of compensation (monetary + non-monetary), compared to only 37% of clients satisfied with only monetary rewards.
This is a fantastic fact! It means you can earn double loyalty without spending an extra penny. But…
What are non-monetary rewards?
See how easy it is to take advantage of your opportunity to retain more dissatisfied customers:
- A dignified treatment of the clientA spontaneous response (not hyphenated) Assure him that the problem will not recurAn explanation of what happenedA thank you for being a clientShow empathy with the client's concernsGive him the opportunity to vent and… Offer an apology!
In short, feel hurt for your discomfort or injury, and genuinely try to resolve it. Is it too much to ask? We must enrich our claims management processes with sincere and human gestures. Let's be people dealing with people!
