Turning Upsets Into Opportunities

I was in a Kailua clothing store yesterday. A customer was complaining about a blouse that had shrunk. The employee was defensive. The customer stormed out, probably never to return.

Complaints. What are we to do with them? Most companies handle them poorly. They rationalize or justify: "We're short staffed today," or "He's new."

Here's how one of Hawaii's marketing masters, the Hawaiian Eye Center, does it. Their five-step system allows the upset person to vent and get it all out. The person receiving the complaint is concerned and listens, without justification or explanation.

Each staff person who may receive complaints is trained to use a card with the five-step program on it.

Step 1. "Thank you for bringing this to our attention."
Step 2: "Tell me all about it."
Step 3: "I can see why you're upset."
Step 4: "What would you like me to do about this?"
Step 5: "Thank you for bringing this to our attention."

Center founder, Dr. John Corboy, explains, "The patient says, 'I'm so angry. There was no parking," and we'll say, 'Thank you for bringing this to our attention. Tell me all about it.' "

To encourage them to vent, the staff person occasionally repeats a word or two of what they say. "I couldn't find a place to park anywhere," they might say. "Anywhere?" the staff person repeats. "Yeah. I had to drive around the block five times." "Five times?" the staff person repeats. When they are through, the staff person says: "I can see why you're upset."

They'll promise to bring this to management's attention, but also ask, "What would you like me to do about this?" Corboy says, "Usually they'll say they just wanted us to know."

The last step repeats the first: Thank you for bringing this to our attention. According to Corboy, even the newest person on staff can be trained to use this five-step program. All they have to do is listen. The script keeps them from getting defensive and lets the patient vent.

If the Kailua store clerk had listened and thanked the woman for bringing it to her attention, she may have kept a customer.

Bob Sigall teaches marketing at HPU. His book, The Companies We Keep – Amazing stories about 450 of Hawaii's best known companies, can be found at local bookstores. Contact him at: Sigall@yahoo.com.

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