Winning a Client for Life / Responding to Negative Feedback

Here are two scenarios; in the first scenario, you check-in to a hotel on a hot summer night and the air conditioner is effective. Pretty much what you're expected. You check out of the hotel and will likely stay there again, however nothing out of the ordinary. You definitely weren’t wowed enough to go out of your way to recommend it to others.

In the second scenario you check-in to a hotel on a hot summer night and notice the air conditioner is broken. You have a couple options and the hotel has a couple options on how to respond.

What if you don’t say anything and just sweat in private? The hotel has no clue you are silently resenting them, and no opportunity to make it up to you. Also, the air conditioner will likely remain broken for the next guest, and you will likely not have the best opinion of the hotel.

What if you tell the hotel about the broken air conditioner, but they tell you all other rooms are booked and you will have to sweat it out until the next day when they can repair. You will be angry and likely share that negative feedback with anyone that inquires. You may even choose to post your anger publically or leave a negative review.

What if you tell the hotel about the broken air conditioner, and they thank you for reporting it, apologize for the inconvenience and upgrade you to a suite immediately to get your comfortable right away? Now that is an experience you will remember and likely share positively with others. You will have a high likelihood of becoming a promoter of the hotel.

When a client complains about an issue it is your opportunity to show how good you really are. Even if it is your goal to be perfect, most clients understand that mistakes will happen. What distinguishes the best service providers is how they respond when mistakes happen. Do they dodge responsibility and point fingers, or do they obsess about what went wrong, figure out how to make it right; and then make sure it never happens again? Not only are mistakes learning opportunities, they are your opportunity to win a client for life.

The truth is most clients will never know how good you are unless there is a problem. If they never see a problem, they never get to see you in action. They never get to see how quickly and seriously you take customer satisfaction. The customer service stories we remember as being exceptional are never about when things went right, but how the company responded when things went wrong.

So the first rule of responding to negative feedback is thanking them right away. Their feedback is how you are going to get better. Then do your best to make it right. You don’t have to give away free service or a hotel suite, however, the judge of what is right is the client. The more authentic and empathetic the reply, the better. Freebies and comps here also go a long way. Finally, make sure the client knows that you are not cool with letting this happen again. Share with them the lessons learned and your assurances of future excellence. If you do everything right, you may have just won a client for life.