Most managers and executives see customer recovery as nothing more than the process of repairing the brand image. While brand reputation is important, this statement is misleading. Customer recovery should first and foremost be about the customer.
If your organization is focused on creating a loyal customer base, and if you want your business to grow without spending millions on advertising, then you must:
- Act quickly
- Take ownership
- Be empowered
- Give back to the customer
You may wonder why it’s so important to exhibit these behaviors 100% of the time. It’s simple – when you solve a customer’s problem quickly, you have a better chance of retaining their loyalty. When you take ownership for the issue, most of the negativity is replaced with satisfaction or even surprise. You trigger an emotional response from the customer so they genuinely feel for you as you feel for them.
To put customer recovery into effect, it’s important for managers to empower their employees. This means granting authority to do what’s necessary to service the customer.
Lastly, and perhaps most important, give back to the concerned customer. Giving back doesn’t have to come in a monetary form – often the customer is simply looking to have their feelings validated with empathy and a genuine apology.
To learn more about a number of tools that are available to help you better manage your customer recovery program click here.