Fleet Management News & Business Info | Commercial Carrier Journal
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/303798
Vo l . 8 , N o . 3 TRUCKSTOP.COM 13 FROM FAILURES E very salesperson will eventually encounter a service failure. When that happens, getting the customer to contact you is just the first step. What's really important is what you do once you have a dissatisfied customer on the line. Here are the proper procedures to best help your customer. 1. INFORM THE CUSTOMER AS SOON AS YOU CAN. ey're absolutely going to find out — no news travels more swily than bad news. Be sure you have the opportunity or set the tone to break the bad news in the most positive way possible. 2. GET TO THE POINT QUICKLY. You can say something like, "You're not going to like hearing this…" 3. IF YOUR CUSTOMER APPROACHES YOU WITH A COMPLAINT, DON'T INTERRUPT. Don't become defensive. Don't make judgments until you've heard all the facts as the customer sees them. 4. TAKE COMPLAINTS SERIOUSLY. It doesn't matter how trivial the issue may seem to you. It takes a lot of frustration to inspire most people to complain; therefore the complainer must take the issue very seriously. 5. DON'T CREATE DISTANCE FROM YOUR COMPANY. Don't refer to your company as "they." Use "we" instead, and proudly stand behind our service without making excuses. 6. APOLOGIZE SINCERELY. 7. AVOID FOCUSING ON FIXING THE BLAME. Focus on fixing the problem. e customer has already assigned blame to your entire organization and usually couldn't care less if you can pinpoint the blame more specifically. e customer is only interested in the service. Take responsibility for solving the problem and then solve it. CONTINUED ON PAGE 38 BY DAVE DALLAS