April 2000
by Edward Poll, J.D., M.B.A., CMC
Who bothers to complain? Who actually picks up the phone, takes up a pen or gathers the courage to complain? You might think it's the trouble-maker, the difficult customer, the one who enjoys being angry. You'd be wrong.
Research shows that complaining customers are overwhelmingly loyal and sincere. They are complaining to you because they care about your business and about the service they receive. They intend doing business with you again in the future, and they want you to set things right.
Customers who call, write or show up in person have been perturbed beyond their threshold. Go beyond their threshold of pleasure and you may receive a compliment. Go beyond their threshold of pain and you will trigger a complaint. The key word is 'their'. It doesn't matter what YOU think is a reasonable waiting time, product performance, or length of warranty. What matters is what they expect - and whether you meet the mark.
Most people who have a gripe won't even bother to complain. They'll just walk away. Therefore, each person who does complain represents a larger number who didn't make the effort. What's the ratio at your organization? Is it 1 out of 10? 1 out of 50? 1 out of 1,000? This means the person who complains should be valued that many times over! Is that how you treat your complaining customers now?
It's true that a few odd folks will complain simply because they enjoy making other people squirm. They can be loud and obnoxious but offer no constructive suggestions. Even when you work hard to recover and please them they will continue to complain and moan. The truth is, they don't want to be satisfied. They enjoy being pain in the neck.
We tend to think about these people often because they make so much noise. But the truth is they are a tiny percentage of your actual customer base. I call them turkeys. Let them gobble.
Key Learning Points: Customers who complain are helping you much more than those who walk away disappointed. Treat your "complainers" like highly valued consultants. After all, they are high value - to you!
What about YOU? Do you try to win your customers over on price? It's not what they care about most. It's not what they will remember. It's not about the price, it's all about the SERVICE.
(This section of the newsletter is excerpted from "UP Your Service!" Chapter 15 on Service Recovery, written by Ron Kaufman. You may order the book from Amazon.com, ISBN: 981042132X)
