"It is five times more costly to get a new customer than to retain an old one." Yet, so often we lose customers due to how we handle, or don't handle, problems when they occur.
Recently, I went into Whole Foods to buy a few items. One of the items, strawberries, was prominently displayed in the bakery, on sale for $2.99. I picked them up and brought them to the checkout. As I left the store, I noticed that I had been charged $3.99 for the berries. I went back to the checker, who headed off to the produce department to check on the price. He returned and said they were $3.99. So, I walked him to the bakery section and showed him the $2.99 sign. He acknowledged the mistake and took me to the customer service stand. The service agent called the bakery and informed them that they had a sign for $2.99 when the produce department priced them at $3.99. She took my receipt, rang up the $3.99 price which, plus tax, totaled $4.34.
Now, this is where it gets interesting! I expected to receive $1.00 plus tax as a refund. Instead, she handed me $4.34. I told her I didn't expect more than $1.00, but she said, "No, it was our mistake. We refund the entire amount for your trouble". Note: she didn't have to call management. She was empowered to handle the problem.
Now, do you think I left the store with a good impression? Obviously, I was amazed enough that the experience made this newsletter. Will I go back? Undoubtedly. Did they exceed my expectations in correcting a problem? Absolutely!
My issue with the strawberries made me think about how we deal with our clients.
When we make mistakes, and we will from time to time, how do we correct the problems? I'm not advocating giving our clients their entire schedule for free if we've made a small mistake, but I believe we should think about our policies. Does the way we handle problems create raving fans out of our clients? Or, do they go away grumbling? Exceeding the expectations of our clients is part of what separates the top billers from the also-rans.
What can we do to exceed expectations? How do we empower our staff to handle complaints without having to seek management's approval? Maybe these are good topics for your next sales meeting.
