6 Steps to Service Recovery

By Nancy Friedman

In this day and age, where customer service is on everyone's mind, it's difficult at times when it all hits the fan.

What do you do when it's no longer just an irate customer? When it's beyond angry? How do you handle the situation? What can you do to SAVE the account? The relationship? The business?

Well, here, direct from the Telephone Doctor LIBRARY is on SERVICE RECOVERY. We have identified 6 Steps of SERVICE RECOVERY to help you and your company SAVE the account, relationship and the business. Good luck!

1. Respond Rapidly - This is not the time to put the call/problem on a back burner. The longer you wait to handle the situation the worse it will become. Remember, delay increases anger.
2. Take Ownership - The customer doesn't care if you're new, if you weren't there the day his problem happened, or if you don't know anything about it. They want you to take ownership of the problem; of the situation. It is your responsibility. Don't shift the blame.
3. Apologize Sincerely - That means no "sorry 'bout that" which is a cliché, not an apology. The customer needs to hear the word APOLOGIZE. And they need to hear that you mean it.
4. Solve the Problem - It's that old 80-20 rule; 80% of the time, the problem will be easy to solve. It's the next step that is the real problem.
5. Manage the Feelings - This is the HEART of service recovery - the feelings. They've been hurt. Intentionally, or unintentionally. It doesn't matter. What matters is they feel maligned and we need to spend time on those feelings. We'll probably spend more time on the feelings than we did on the problem. But it's a KEY step in service recovery.
6. Verify Satisfaction - In so many cases, if handled properly, all is well. We hope. Well, how do we know? Simple. We ask! Yes, it's that simple. We ask, "Have I done a good job for you Mr. Smith?" or "Mrs. Jones, has everything been handled to your satisfaction?" We need to let the customer know we value their business. We also may need to do or give something 'extra' if we can, to help the situation along. We need to do something the customer is totally not expecting. Something that will say they're appreciated. Each industry has their own appreciation threshold. It doesn't necessarily need to be expensive. It just needs 'to be.'

Service recovery is special. You see, good customer service is expected. That's nothing new or special. You're supposed to give good customer service. What's the big deal? But when stuff 'hits the fan" and that one customer is beyond IRATE - that's when SERIVCE RECOVERY kicks into gear. Good luck!

Nancy Friedman is president of Telephone Doctor®, an international customer service training company headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, specializing in customer service and telephone skills. She is a KEYNOTE speaker at association conferences and corporate gatherings and is the author of four best selling books. Call 314-291-1012 for more information or visit the Web site at www.telephonedoctor.com.