When you start a business there are many things that motivate you! Passion, desire, love for the product, people, money, the list can go on and on. I have a passion for people. I love to help, make things better, see other grow and learn.
There are many reason's I started my company and for seven years I put EVERYTHING into it, and I do mean everything! However there are somethings you don't even think about when thinking about your dream coming to life.
You learn that people will lash out for no reason, or take the most minor thing and turn then into life or death. Some things would just shock you! For instance I had one email that told me what a terrible person and christian I was. How "I couldn't be trusted due to the lack of my evil ways" What was this grave thing I did to this person....I put the wrong label on the wrong tin of tea. Honest mistake considering we have over 100 teas, and only five different colors of labels. To be honest I'm shocked it didn't happen more often. This was laughable, but I truly hurt the person who received the error.
These are things that happened daily. With over 850 consultants and thousands of customers, I was sure to get at least one-two calls or emails a day. So, why an I writing about this....easy! There are many books that will tell you about running a business, how to do the accounting, ordering, website, ect....however there is nothing that tells you about the complaints to prepare for. Yes, you can read about great customer service, and how to train your employees to deal with customers, but I've not found anything on the market that told me "hey, when you receive an email or call ripping you to the core of your being, this is how to deal with it and keep the customer".
No matter what you start, people will be just that...people! Don't ever put one group above the other. The ones that start with you, hold hands and grow together will do the same things. Nobody is above the fact that if and when something goes wrong it will be YOUR fault and they will be the first to tell you why! It never mattered if it was the "shipping and receiving dept, payroll, or whatever" it all comes up to you.
So, a few thoughts on how I took this and made them into a "semi-positive" outcome. First, I prefer emails. Why?!? You can scream get mad and blow off tons of steam prior to responding. I'm being real here!!! You need to walk away from the issue think about it and then come back to it. I'm not saying leave it for a day, just an hour. Then respond. Make sure your tone, if an email, can not in any way be taken wrong. Start with "I'm so sorry this has caused an issue" Even if it's nothing, make them feel like you hear them and you feel for the fact they have to deal with this. Then go over the issue, what you will do to fix it, reassure them you care about them, and close the subject. If they come back with anything else other then thank you, be strong in how you are dealing with it and say "I feel this matter is closed. Thank you for your support."
If you receive a call, I feel like taking the complaint and writing everything down (other words let them talk, don't respond until their done) tell then you want to get the best result and that you would like some time to call them back. Give them a set time and stick to it! Do the same, get it off your chest....punch a bag...whatever and get back to them in the same manner as the email. Write out your response. This helps you and them stay on track and keeps things moving in the right direction.
Remember, you can and won't please everyone, and it's OK to tell them that. However you need to be willing to take the criticism if this is the roll you choose in life. I know it can be personal, but if you leave that at the door it makes this roll much easier!!!
I hope this helps!
No comments:
Post a Comment