From a Web Hosting Provider - Have You Hugged A Disgruntled Customer Today?

Responsibility, Web Hosting, Ecommerce and Disgruntled Customers

The only thing worse than an unhappy customer who complains is an unhappy customer who doesn’t. Psychologists have long maintained that apathy is the ultimate expression of anger. Customers who complain are trying to work out a way to do business with you. Customers who don’t simply ride off quietly into the sunset without giving you the opportunity to work through their issues.  Instead of complaining to you, they are likely sharing their negative opinions of your company on blogs, in chat rooms or on their own web sites.

The World Wide Web has taken complaints to a whole new level. In the past, a small number of customer complaints may have never seen the light of day. Today, consumer web sites allow disgruntled shoppers to complain publicly and they can’t and won’t be ignored.

According to a recent article published in U.S. News and World Report, a new day has dawned for dissatisfied customers. “The internet has made it much more effective to complain,” said Linda Sherry, director of national priorities for Consumer Action, a nonprofit organization that helps consumers file complaints. “It used to be, if you had a complaint, you wrote the company, and your little complaint probably just ended up in a stack of paper somewhere. Now, a company can be rather embarrassed by something like this.”

The Better Business Bureau suggests that online stores offer customers a convenient method for venting their feelings. This can be done by placing contacts for links at prominent locations on your storefront - and adding sentences like “Are you satisfied? If not, please contact us so we can improve.”

It’s generally more fun to correspond with happy customers than unhappy ones. But avoiding unhappy customers can be an expensive mistake. Criticism spreads much more quickly than appreciation. And with the current pervasiveness of online bulletin boards, newsgroups and blogs, criticism on the web not only spreads fast, it sticks.

Customer complaints can cause you to lose future sales from customers and from everybody else who hears about their bad experience. Or you can turn customer complaints into more sales from these same customers and the people they influence.

Tips from your web hosting provider -

Here are some proactive strategies that can be used to deal with customer complaints:

• Answer all complaints quickly and courteously. If you can’t solve the problem immediately, let the customer know that you are working on a solution. The longer a disgruntled customer has to worry about getting their problem solved, the less likely it is that they will accept a satisfactory solution and remain your customer.

• Keep your cool. Always conduct yourself professionally, even when customers are being unreasonable. Sometimes customers seem cranky because in many cases they expect you to resist solving their problem. If you conduct yourself in a calm and respectful manner they are more likely to trust you.

• Accept responsibility: Don’t blame someone else for the problem even if it is not your fault. Your customers aren’t interested in playing the blame game; they just want their issue resolved. Briefly explain the cause of the problem and apologize for any inconvenience that may have been experienced by the customer.

• When it is feasible, find a way to compensate your customer for any inconvenience they may have experienced. They will always remember the special attention you gave to them.

• Make sure you follow up with the customer to confirm their satisfaction with the outcome.

• Learn from experience. Investigate how the issue originated and take immediate action to prevent similar complaints.

Every complaint has a silver lining - and an untapped opportunity. While at first glance complaints may seem like a bad thing, there are thousands of online companies laughing all the way to the bank because of the superior way they won the loyalty of their customers through complaint resolution.