Here is some nice customer service advice from Henry Dimbleby, who runs Leon, a healthy fast-food chain in the UK.
As Leon is often cited as one of the chains getting service and products right on the British high street, it’s interesting to get a take on Dimbleby’s internal mantra.
• Try to make everyone who complains more loyal than they were before they complained.
• Don’t just offer to give them free stuff. People hate being bought off, and they don’t want you to think they only complained to get a freebie. They want you to take them seriously.
• Find out what went wrong and make sure you fix it. People who complain are doing you a favour: otherwise you would never know that something in your business wasn’t working smoothly.
• Stand by your team. If the complaint is against a particular person and you think that that person is normally great, spell out their virtues to the complainant. People like loyalty. But also make it clear that you take the problem they encountered seriously.
• Let the person complaining know what you are going to do and thank them for helping you make your business better. People love to be helpful.
• Offer them free stuff. Once you have worked out what the problem is and fixed it – and only then. This person has just helped make your business a little bit better. They deserve a freebie.
Thanks to The Guardian for this.
