We all know it when we experience it. Things do go wrong . . . the never-wear-out jeans wear out, the laundry cracks a shirt button, the steak is too rare, the knock in the engine comes back again . . . we feel let down, taken advantage of or just plain furious. Somehow, we were counting on everything working and the experience came up short. Whether it is a machine failure, a surly receptionist, or a phone call not returned, we all have experienced service failure . . . and judged the culprit by how well they responded.
Customers' expectations for service are climbing. As they do, all employees of all organizations are having to deal with customers who experience service failure and seem to demonstrate less tolerance and more wrath than ever in the past. No service system or process is 100% perfect. And, how employees respond can very often turn disappointment into customer satisfaction--sometimes even into customer devotion!
Great service recovery, however, does not happen by luck, or even due solely to excellent interpersonal skills. Effective service recovery is planned and managed. You may be thinking . . . Is service recovery something we even need to talk about? Why not just put all my energy into "doing it right the first time"? And, besides, maybe talking about mistakes will cause mistakes to happen more often. Shouldn't my goal be zero defects?
If service was always perfect, we wouldn't need to talk about it. But, no service system or process is ever 100% perfect. And, customers have unique requirements for "what is good service and what is disappointing service." Ever notice how a small mistake causes one customer to say "ah, no problem" and that exact same mistake makes another customer absolutely livid?
Obviously, preventive ("do it right the first time") maintenance on those troublesome fail points in a service delivery system or process is an important first step. But, even the very best service operation will occasionally fail. And, there are fail points in service that are just too expensive to fix. Airlines, for instance, could prevent passengers with tickets from ever getting bumped. They could only take as many reservations as there are seats on the plane. But, we all know the number of "no-shows" causes that practice to make no economic sense. The consequence of the intentional over booking practice, however, is a guarantee that some ticketed passengers will occasionally be disappointed. Smart airlines anticipate such problems and plan effective steps to service recovery.
Walt Disney World, for instance, has done a lot to minimize the customer's negative experience of predictable "wait" when in line for their most popular attractions. The lines "move" through a maze (since move-and-wait feels better than stand-and-wait), the wait time is announced up-front to shape expectations and Disney characters like Mickey and Goofy tend to visit the attractions with the longest lines. Where does service fail in your unit? What steps have you planned to turn a negative customer experience into a pleasurable one? Are all employees working from the same recovery plan to insure consistency in how service problems are handled?
Customer service research has found that a customer who has had a problem elegantly corrected ends up more loyal than a customer who has never had a problem. We also know that when problems occur, the customer's disappointment needs to be soothed before the problem is corrected. Great recovery starts with some expression of humility. A simple "I'm very sorry that happened to you" can communicate caring in a way that can calm even the angriest customer. When customers experience service problems their attitude is generally: "I don't care how much you know, until I know how much you care." Start with genuine caring.
Customers also need to hear words that let them know you understand how they feel--that you appreciate why they are upset or frustrated. However, apology and empathy are not enough. Customers need to experience some urgency--words of momentum--which let are them know you are working to correct their problem as quickly as possible.
It might be a good idea to think through exactly how you plan to handle those service break downs that happen with some regularity. Maybe, there is merit in providing some token or gesture which tangibly telegraphs your sincere regret that the disappointment occurred. Symbolic atonement does not mean "buying" the problem. It can be as simple as a small courtesy, a personal extra, or a value-added favor. Finally, follow-up with customers after a problem has been fixed can telegraph to customers that you sincerely care about them and the fact that they had a problem.
The manner in which disappointments are handled can have a dramatic impact on the overall perception of your organization or unit. Look for ways to get customer feedback on service breakdowns. Keep track of the most common customer complaints of your operation. Devote time in your next meeting to talk about service recovery and to plan ways to deal with recurring service failures until they can be permanently fixed. Remember, the difference between a good service operation and great service operation is not how they perform in normal times, it's how they perform when the customer is disappointed.
Chip R. Bell manages The Chip Bell Group near Dallas, Texas and is the author of several best-selling books, including Magnetic Service . He can be reached through www.chipbellgroup.com.
