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.
