Winter holidays are a joyful time of year – at least that’s what everybody says.
Winter holidays are a joyful time of year – at least that’s what everybody says. And if your customers don’t practice Christmas gift-giving, chances are good that even they can’t resist a good year-end deal.
That’s the media alert. Reality is that December means everyone is delirious from over-played Christmas music, budgets are strained to the max, anyone who has any time off at the end of the month is rushing to get their usual To Do list complete, and no one has any free time whatsoever.
Let’s not even talk about year-end bookkeeping.
And you’re expected to be enthusiastically nice to the cranky customer! How do you pull that off? Here are some scenarios you may frequently encounter during this emotional time of year and how to handle them gracefully.
A customer asks if you’ll still honour last week’s sale or promotion.
“Absolutely not,” is the incorrect way to respond to this request. If you aren’t able to carry that deal forward, express so kindly for the customer: “Unfortunately I’m not able to honour that sale/coupon/BOGO beyond the expiration date.”
Then try to make your customer’s day better. Is there another sale coming up you can tell them about? Is there a newsletter they can sign up for with a coupon code? Can you offer them a 10% off Manager’s Special? Even if you can’t move mountains, the fact that you’ve been kind will lead to repeat business.
A customer bought a thing from you and they want to return it NOW. And they are MAD. Because they are STRESSED. And now they have to buy another THING.
Start with sympathy: “I’m so sorry that our product let you down.” If your product failed, even if it’s because the customer misused it, apologize. The simple act of saying “I’m sorry,” often placates the customer because you are aligning yourself on their side. Then do whatever you can to make your customer’s day better. If they can’t exchange or return it, can you give them 15% store credit? Any show of good faith is better than none because that customer will review you on G+ and it won’t be pretty.
A customer complains that your seasonal decorations cater to only one portion of your customers.
Even if Christmas is your favourite holiday of all time and you can’t fling enough tinsel around the shop, find a way to connect with this person. It’s not up to you to make them like Christmas, but it won’t hurt to take a moment and respectfully acknowledge them. No, you aren’t their therapist, and yes, your time is money. Good customer service isn’t about money, it’s about the experience. The more a customer enjoys spending time with you, the more money they will spend with you. It could be as simple as saying, “I hear what you’re saying,” then immediately asking if you can help them find something.
But wait! There’s more!
• Let your unhappy customer say their piece. Even if you know what they’re going to say. An unhappy, interrupted customer may not be appeased.
• When you reply, repeat part of their concern back to the customer so that they know you understand the issue.
• Be glad that this customer gave you the opportunity to solve their problem. For every 1 person that complains, 9 others will walk out the door without saying a word. Those 9 will not be back.
Above all, remain calm and approachable. The customer may not always be right, but even good people have bad days.
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