How to Turn an Angry Customer Into a Loyal Fan

June 24, 2015 | 2,412 views

How to Turn an Angry Customer Into a Loyal Fan

How to Turn an Angry Customer Into a Loyal Fan

No matter how hard you try to avoid it, it’s bound to happen. A customer will eventually get upset with something or someone in your business. When that happens, you have two choices. You can either turn them away from your business forever, or turn them into a loyal fan.

 

 

Your customer’s happiness lies primarily in your employee’s hands. The way each employee handles a situation impacts how your customer feels about your brand. The key to creating loyal fans out of angry customers is to create happier employees. Here’s how.

 

Don’t Hide the Schedule

 

Want to know the fastest way to upset your employee? Change the schedule so many times it forces him to ditch his family or friends to come into work. You’ll have a resentful employee standing front and center with your customers. No matter how professional he is, providing exceptional customer service won’t be easy.

 

To combat this, make scheduling easier for everyone. In California, a law called the “Fair Scheduling Act” requires at least two weeks advance notice. Even if that’s not the law in your state, adhering to this rule might keep your team and customers happier.

 

Think Outside the Box

 

The people you hired are smart. When backed into a corner by an angry customer, your employees need the tools, resources, and freedom to make fast decisions. The faster an employee can act to resolve a situation, the more loyal that customer will be as a result.

 

One company that excels at this is Zappos. Zappos has ranked on Fortune magazine’s “100 Best Companies to Work For” list for seven years in a row. One way they’ve reached that point is by encouraging employees to think outside the box. It’s a simple philosophy that allows employees to settle situations quickly, easily, and with a more positive mindset. They aren’t worried about breaking the rules. Instead, the only focus is on resolving the situation quickly and effectively.

 

Turn Your Employees Into Brand Cheerleaders

 

The sooner you can bring your employees into the fold and make them fit in, the sooner they’ll start advocating for your company. Turn your team into brand cheerleaders in front of your customers (angry and loyal customers) by looking after them.

 

A company that does this well is Southwest. Get on board one of their flights and chances are you’ll see flight attendants having fun. That’s because the company looks after their employees and makes them feel cared for by the company. This positivity permeates each flight. If a customer is upset, the already upbeat flight attendants are better prepared to handle the situation and turn that anger into appreciation.

 

You can’t always turn angry customers into loyal fans. But, by serving your employees first, you have a better shot at providing better customer service in the long run.

 

 

Author Profile

Jon Forknell is the Vice President and General Manager of Atlas Business Solutions, Inc., a software marketing company specializing in employee scheduling software, including ScheduleBase employee scheduling software, and other business software solutions. In the past, Jon has been recognized by the U.S. Small Business Administration as a SBA Young Entrepreneur of the Year. Atlas Business Solutions was named as one of Software Magazine’s Top 500 Software Companies in 2004 through 2007 and again in 2010, 2013 and 2014.

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