Credit goes to Stacey Harmon for finding this one. You can see her original post on Facebook here. Basically, a customer was disappointed in the level of service (or lack-thereof ) at this establishment. He voiced his opinion much like anyone else would to a friend and posted it on the restaurant’s Facebook Page. The owner responded in less than an apologetic tone as you can see below…
(Click on the image to enlarge it).
Think About It:
First of all, this customer is clearly upset. Do you really think that responding in this manner is going to cool him down? Sure, maybe the owner could care less if he loses one client. But typing it out in public for the rest of your community to see, hmm. Not a smart move. By the way, the comment has since been deleted. But I knew it was there, so it still leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
On the other hand, what if you apologized for the visit, agreed with the client’s concerns, and gave him a complimentary meal on his next visit (a discount or something). Personally, I think two things would happen: 1.) he’d be impressed and would take you up on your offer, 2.) you’d win a client for life (assuming you didn’t foul it up on the second visit). But really, any time a company/restaurant has tried to make up for the lack of service, and has done something for me by way of apologizing or giving me a discount on a next visit, they’ve earned a new customer for life.
Apple did that for me when they replaced my battery free of charge in less than a week. Restaurants have done it by giving me a dessert on the house and giving us a discount on our meals for taking so long to bring the food out.
Lesson Learned:
A few things come to mind…
- The customer is always right. Moments like this present an opportunity to correct an error and earn a customer for life.
- Don’t ever trash your customers online. Ever. Period.
- A friend of mine once said: “Criticism is one of the greatest marketing opportunities you have. It’s a chance to correct any misperceptions.” – David Gibbons
Think about this the next time you post a Status Update that ends up as a rant about one of your customers. Think about this the next time you hit send on that negative tweet about an outing with a client.
If you were this business, how might you have handled it differently?
2.Don’t ever trash your customers online. Ever. Period.
Seems funny that you'd have to point that out, but I guess you do.
I had an interesting talk with a company that does agent ratings the other day. They said when a business always gets 5 out of 5 stars, it looks suspicious. When they get dinged just a little, not only does it make the interaction look real, but it also give the company an opportunity to show how they respond to all types of comments. It can actually help them win business, depending on how they handle themselves.
(missing David already…)
Sara: I can't begin to tell you how many rants I see people publish about an outing with a client. It's not very professional in my opinion especially when you're posting it in an open forum for others to see. I can't believe the owner in the example above responded the way he did and so I thought it was the perfect example.
In regards to your experience with the company, I totally see their point. It does show a bit of a genuine side and it shows that you can take criticism well. I still love David's quote: “Criticism is one of the greatest marketing opportunities you have. It’s a chance to correct any misperceptions.”
Thanks for the visit and the comment Sara!
That's so true, people now are more empowered and they can reach others very easily online
thank you Ricardo:)
Wow, this was a dumb move by the business. They took it personally rather than responding like a brand with a reputation to protect. If they had apologized and tried to make up for the poor experience they may have also succeeded in winning over new fans. Everyone appreciates a business that is willing to admit a mistake and take steps to correct it.
I agree with you 1,000% Karen!!
Nice replies in return of this question with irm argumernts and describing everything
about that.