PODCAST EXCERPT FROM Micah Solomon – My favorite read (How to manage customers)

All great customer-centric organizations have a “customer service recovery framework”. For example, Marriott uses its own sequence, which spells Learn L E A R N, and Starbucks uses its own, which adorably spells latte. The service recovery method that I'm known for is based on the famous work of the Ritz Carlton Hotel Company, but I've adapted it to a wider range of applications and industries, and this is to keep you from falling into a fetal position and crying mama, the next time you're confronted with an upset customer. So, number one, “M”, “Make time to listen immediately”. Stop whatever you're doing. Don't further antagonize a customer by only paying half attention to them while they are telling you why they're upset. Listen with your ears, your eyes, and if you're in person, your body don't interrupt the customer at this stage with questions or explanations. The first “A” of mama is acknowledged, and if called for, apologize. So, acknowledge the situation, and if called for, by which I mean the customer feels that an apology is called for, not necessarily that you do apologize sincerely, even if you have no reason to feel that you are at fault, you should convey to the customer that you recognize and regret what they've gone through. Be sure that this is a real apology and not an insincere sounding apology. What do I mean? Well, these are good ones. I'm so sorry that this happened. I'm so sorry that we let you down. I'm so sorry for the misunderstanding. These are all real apologies. I'm so sorry that you feel that way, or even worse, I'm so sorry if you feel that way. That is a fake apology. How about this? I have actually heard this one. I'm sorry, I had a lot of other jobs that took priority over yours. Now that is a non-apology, and you might as well not say anything. The second “M” in Mama have a meeting of minds, align yourself with the customer's expectations for what a solution would look like and what is actually possible for you to deliver. And finally, “A” do it, act, and follow up. Take care of the issue as promised. Follow up with anyone to whom you assigned all or part of the resolution. Follow up with the customer as well to ensure that all has gone as you hoped it would. Later, examine what went wrong with an eye to identify negative patterns, systemic issues, and check points. The aim of service recovery is to change the feeling that the customer takes back with them from the encounter. The goal you should have is to replace the story the customer is telling themselves about the internet and about your entire company with a new, better story. Now, to do this, you're going to want to avoid defensive language. Why do we use defensive language? Because most of us have siblings, or if we don't have siblings, like Micah fighting with his brother over who gets to use the scooter, and for how long, you have classmates, and what you naturally do, or learn to do very quickly, is someone accuses you of something of using the scooter for too long, you say, 'No, I didn't. I only had it for a moment. Sources : https://micahsolomon.com/books/ https://micahsolomon.com/work-with-us/writing-content-creation/