Every company on the planet gets complaints or has customer issues that need to be resolved…its part of doing business. While we all try to avoid them from happening, they still happen. And it’s OK. What’s not OK is how these issues are getting resolved…or more specifically, WHEN they get resolved.
Unless you live in the country village showcased in a Hallmark movie with snow fluttering to the ground and everyone is sipping hot cocoa, speed is paramount. Today, SPEED WINS…and is expected. So how do you make this work inside your own company? How can you set yourself apart from your competition in this fast moving, time crunched world we live in today? I have some thoughts that might help you to navigate through this a bit better than you might be today.
Generally speaking, most companies try to resolve issues with their customers when they get a complaint…that’s just part of doing business. After all, if you choose not to, you most likely won’t be in business very long after your customers tell everyone they know not to do business with you. But when you are trying to resolve the issue, the of the most critical components (if not the most critical) is TIME.
Ask yourself this question, as a customer would, “How long does it take before you start to get even more upset about the issue…after you have told the company about your issue?” In other words, once you lodge your complaint, how long do you give the company to resolve the issue before you start getting really upset? Obviously this depends on the situation and company, but overall, every complaint has a “time factor” associated with it.
If you are dining in a restaurant, for example, you want your issue resolved as close to immediate as possible. If you ordered something online that didn’t work out you may give them a little more time to make it right and send you a new one…less sense of urgency. Your business products and services determine your (and your customers) sense of urgency. There are no set rules…but your customers will tell you what the rules are to make them happy.
Your GOAL is to EXCEED this time.
Here’s the big issue…when time “runs out” your customers anxiety and anger grows exponentially. This means that there is an “unwritten time line” for your products and services that your customers have for the proper resolution to an issue. It might be minutes, hours, or days…but there is an “expected resolution time” every customer has for your business. Do you know what that is? If you don’t, this is the first place to start. Ask your customers how long they feel is appropriate to resolve an issue with them before they start to really get upset. This will have a range so you will have to evaluate this in more detail to really fine tune it (if you need help with this, just shoot me a message and I can give you some guidance).
As long as you are within (or shorter) the time frame defined by your customers, you are golden…they will love you for it. The more consistent you are with this and the more you can beat their “expected resolution time” the MORE THEY TALK ABOUT YOU. This type of “advocacy” and “word-of-mouth” is directly correlated to you response time.
Fortunately, and unfortunately, customers talk about you when you beat the “expected resolution time” and when you exceed it…nothing else. If you meet the time line they don’t talk about it…it is, after all, expected. But when you beat their expectation they are ecstatic and very appreciative…they talk about this and tell others (in –person and on social channels). Unfortunately, when you go beyond what is acceptable in their minds and what is expected, they talk about this as well (in-person and on social channels). They don’t talk about what is expected…only the extremes.
Figuring out the appropriate time to respond, knowing it can vary by your products and services, is critical to delivering an AWESOME CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE. If you don’t know it, it’s like flying an aircraft without instruments…it’s all just a “feel” of what’s going on, not necessarily what is really going on. Find this out…know what the “expected resolution time” your customers have for you and your business.
CUSTOMER OBSESSED companies know this…it is part of their process of being customer obsessed. They know their customers “expected resolution time” for each and every interaction they might have with their customers.
Back to our restaurant example, there are different “expected resolution times” for different personnel and activities. If you are the waiter/waitress your “expected resolution time” is immediate…they need to deal with it immediately. If you are the manager, your “expected resolution time” is as close to immediate as possible after the waitperson tells you there is an issue…you need to get to the table and chat with the customers. If you are the chef, your “expected resolution time” isn’t immediate but it is as soon as you can prepare something new for the customer. In the end, if you exceed the “expected resolution time,” the customer feels very well taken care of and are far more likely to be your advocate and tell others great things about you.
Think of your own business…spend some time talking about this with your leadership teams and ask the question, “Do we know what our “expected resolution times” are for resolving different issues with our customers?” If you don’t, this could be a great opportunity for you to really do something that would make a difference to your business and with your customers. And if you don’t know your “expected resolution times,” I’m pretty sure your competitors don’t either…this makes it an even greater opportunity to help you in the ongoing “differentiation battle” with your competition.
As always, if you ever have a question or need a little guidance, shoot me a message. You can leave it on my website or you can send me a quick email. I’m always happy to help get you on the right track and help you move a little closer to becoming Customer Obsessed! And remember…to be REMARKABLE…become CUSTOMER OBSESSED.
