What’s Worse than a Dissatisfied Customer?
Friday, July 6th, 2007Have you ever been so pleased with a particular experience in a store, restaurant or any other establishment you do business with, that you went out of your way to tell the management how delighted you were with the experience?�
No. Neither have I.� I’m just too darn busy.
Have you ever been so dissatisfied with a rude cashier or long lines at the bank that you asked to speak to a manager or took the time to write a letter to the corporate office?
I can say, I have occasionally taken the time to complain, but more often than not, I kept my mouth shut.� I always hoped I would receive better customer service.� If I didn’t, I usually just stopped doing business with the establishment.� I am what companies hate the most – the silent customer.� Silent customers usually don’t complain to management but they most certainly will share their experiences with their friends, neighbors and co-workers. Not a good thing!
Studies show that typically only one in ten customers will proactively convey their dissatisfaction to a company, whereas 31% go on to tell friends and family.� The impact of negative word-of-mouth can be more devastating then ever as tools that amplify word-of-mouth (Internet) are increasingly more powerful.
Whether your customer-base is families or Fortune 500 firms, all businesses need to remember that a customer complaint is a gift.� A customer or client that complains about a bad experience gives the company the chance to right a wrong.� It provides an opportunity to improve.�
Outreach efforts such as customer satisfaction surveys are a great way to identify those silent customers that might go unnoticed.� Are there some that still will choose to remain silent?� Yes, but providing a mechanism for customers to give feedback is a good first step at identifying shortcomings that will ultimately lead to process improvement, increased customer satisfaction, and customer retention.
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