1. Recover the Potentially Lost Customer
Chapter 9

2. Objectives Understand customer recovery Maintain healthy attitudes
Apply techniques
Handle a nasty complaint letter
Develop skills
Understand the difference between assertive and aggressive behavior

3. Understand the Case for Customer Recovery
Already familiar with the products/services
More data about likes/dislikes
Customer may feel flattered by your efforts
Shorter length of “prospect” and “new customer” phases

4. Maintain Healthy Attitudes About Customer Recovery
Win

5. Develop Your Recovery Skills

6. Feel Their Pain Listen to their concerns Understand their problem
Share their sense of urgency
Compensate them
Eliminate further inconvenience
Treat them with respect
Assure them the problem will not happen again

7. Do All You Can to Resolve the Problem
Have a clear understanding of the problem
Ask appropriate questions to clarify
Fix it as soon as possible

8. Go Beyond: Offer « Symbolic Atonement »
Offer to pick up or deliver the goods to be replaced or repaired
Give a gift of merchandise to repay for the inconvenience
Reimburse for costs of returning merchandise such as parking fees, etc.
Acknowledge the customer’s inconvenience and thank him/her for giving you the opportunity to try to make it right
Follow up to see that the problem was handled

9. Look Back and Learn from Each Situation
What was the nature of the customer’s complaint?
Was it generated primarily by value, systems, or people?
How did the customer see the problem?
Who was to blame; what irritated the customer most; why was he/she angry or frustrated?
How did you see the problem?
What did you say that seemed to aggravate the situation?

10. Understand What Happens if the Customer is Still Not Satisfied
If you try your best to satisfy the customer, you have done all that you can do.
Don’t take it personally.
Don’t rehash the experience with your coworkers or in your own mind.

11. Handle the Occasional Customer From Hell

12. Action Tip 1- Be Sure This Really is a Chronic Complainer
They always look for someone to blame.
They never admit any degree of fault.
They have strong ideas about what others should do.
They complain at length.

13. Action Tip 2- Know What to Do with This Guy (or Girl)
Actively listen to identify the grievance
Establish the facts to reduce exaggeration
Resist the temptation to apologize
Force the complainer to pose a solution

14. Action Tip 3- Take a Break, Cool Off, Reflect

15. Handle a Nasty Complaint Letter or Email
ANSWER!!!
Be an effective writer
Be sensitive
Be tactful

16. People Are Strongly Interest in Themselves
“What’s in it for me?”

17. People Prefer Receiver-Centered Messages
I-Centered
We require that you sign the sales slip before we charge this purchase to your account.
I am sending your report back to you for an update.
Receiver Viewpoint
For your protection, we charge your account only after you have signed the sales slip.
So that you may update this report to the most current version, it is being returned to you.

18. People Want to Be Treated as Individuals
Blanket Tone
When a thousand requests are received from prospective customers, we feel pleased.
The cooperation of our charge customers in paying their accounts is appreciated.
More Personal Tone
A copy of the booklet you requested is being sent to you today. Thank you for requesting it.
I certainly appreciate your paying the account.

19. People Want Positive Information
Negative Wording
You failed to give us the part number of the muffler you ordered.
We regret to inform you that we must deny your request for credit.
Positive Wording
So that we may get you the muffler you want, will you please check your part number on the enclosed card?
For the time being, we can serve you only on a cash basis.

20. People Don’t Like Abrasive People
Abrasiveness
Assertiveness
Irritating manner
Pushy
Critical
“You don’t make any sense.”
Express feelings
Nonthreatening
“I’m having a difficult time understanding what you’re saying.”

21. Understand that Assertive Behavior is Not Aggressive Behavior
Aggressors
Assertors
Communicate from a position of superiority
Indirect, manipulative, underhanded
Set themselves up for retaliation
Use a lot of judgmental terms
High self-respect
Respect others
Win-win solutions
Honest
Emotionally charge language is seldom used