The secret formula of React, Respond, Recover, Plus One
You do something wrong. The customer gets mad. You apologize and try to fix the problem, make nice, and hope they don't go someplace else next time. Want to buy some customer insurance? Sure you do. How do you get customer insurance, you ask? Easy you already have it. The problem is that most people don't use it. What's the reason? Insurance costs a little extra. It's called Plus One Insurance and here's how it works. When the customer is angry, the formula that will make them forgive you, continue to do business with you and tell others about you is React, Respond, Recover, Plus One.
Let's say you're late for a delivery, deliver the wrong thing, make an error in something personalized, miss a deadline, or deliver bad food to the table. In short, you make a business mistake that irritates (or angers) the customer. Now you have to react, respond and recover from the mistake.
When you've finished your dance of apology and making amends, that's when the customer starts talking. They will say something good, nothing, or something bad about you. This all depends on what you said, how you said it, what you did, and how you did it.
The customer's story was crafted by your words and deeds. How much is a positive story worth? How much is a saved customer worth? How much does a negative story cost? How much does a lost customer cost? The answer is Plus One.
To ensure that the story will be positive and the customer will be saved, add a Plus to the end of the transaction. Plus One is something extra that the customer was not expecting, something that will add a smile, something that will add some good to the situation, making the customer's last memory of you a pleasant one.
For example your customer may:
go into your store for a sale item that has sold out.
check into your hotel and their room isn't ready.
order something and you deliver it wrong.
You figure if you just get the customer what they need, you're out of the woods and they're satisfied. And you figured wrong. You may be out of the woods but you still may be in the doghouse. You need to add the extra Plus. You need to add a surprise. You need to add the memory. You need to add a reason to say something good about you. The risk in not doing this is too large.
Let's take the three examples above and elaborate. Let's assume you can meet their fundamental needs and recover from the wrong. The real question is what can you add to the situation to make it a memorable one? Here's how to add the Plus and create a WOW.
You go into the store for a sale item that has sold out. The clerk gives you a rain check to ensure you get the item. And (the Plus) the clerk calls other stores, locates the item and has it delivered to your home at no extra charge. And (another Plus) the clerk gives you a private sale card that lets you purchase anything else in the store at a 15% discount, today only.
You check into a hotel and your room isn't ready. The clerk says "Mr. Gitomer, you're in luck. Your room isn't ready. That means you get to eat breakfast for free and (the Plus) use our business center for free." Wow!
You order something and it's delivered wrong. The correct response when confronted is not an excuse. The correct response is "Oh, that's horrible." This must be followed by a statement of what will be done and when. Some verbose bonus should then follow "Mr. Gitomer, you are in luck. You have qualified for our Wrong delivery, customer bonus program. Here's how it works ..."
The Plus is the difference between satisfied and loyal customers. The Plus is the difference between a story being retold positively and a negative retelling of the same events. And the story will be retold the only question is which way. I hope you're willing to invest in the Plus customer insurance premium. Some fools aren't.
Jeffrey Gitomer is the author of "The Sales Bible," and "Customer Satisfaction is Worthless, Customer Loyalty is Priceless." President of North Carolina-based Buy Gitomer, he gives seminars, runs annual sales meetings, and conducts training programs on selling and customer service. He can be e-mailed at salesman@gitomer.com
