When Customers Don’t Speak Up

I imagine youve all had experiences like this. You hear about a swank new restaurant, the kind thats booked solid for the next 6 months. Undeterred, you gamely pick up the phone, make a reservation, and file it away in the back of your calendar - maybe next years calendar!. On the appointed day, you arrive 5 minutes early only to be seated 30 minutes late. Once seated, it takes forever to bring menus, cocktails, appetizers, etc.

Then the dishes come out wrong. You ordered the pasta primavera, but get the chicken parmesan. Your spouses dish looks as if it was cooked that morning. The whole thing is an unmitigated disaster. The interesting part is what happens next. As you and your friends are lamenting the terrible service and experience, thus far, the manager strolls over. Cheerfully, he extends his hand and bellows, How is everything tonight? On cue, as if he is controlling your every move, almost controlling your thoughts, you respond, Everything is fine, thank you!

Has that ever happened to you? Have you ever had an awful, ridiculous experience in a restaurant or store, or on the phone, and when questioned about your experience, answered that way? Responded that everything was great when, in fact, it was quite the opposite. Its happened to me more times than I care to admit.

Customers who do not give honest feedback are the kiss of death for service providers. You have a terrible experience, but for some reason, are reluctant to speak up when questioned. Part of Hitting the Grand Slam with your customers is respecting that they have choices and they have chosen you. Understanding why customers dont complain more often, and developing strategies to bring out that feedback, is crucial. Many studies show that only a miniscule 2-4% of customers will actually take the time and effort to complain. Most will simply go elsewhere.

They will vote with their feet by walking out your back door as youre desperately trying to get people to come through the front door. Here are a few reasons why customers dont complain.

They think you dont care!
Theyre afraid of a confrontation!
They think you dont want to hear it!
They think you wont do anything about it!

Your challenge is to understand how these reasons play out in your business, and to develop strategies to counteract these perceptions. Once you do that, you will be able to get honest feedback from your customers.

Some customers take the time and effort to let their feelings be known. When they complain they are actually saying (no, SHOUTING), I want to be your customer. Do something! They are giving you a second chance, an opportunity to show how great you can really be! My experience in almost 20 years of delighting customers is that once you deal with a customers problem in a professional manner, you will have much more loyalty than before. That is great news!

I remember a situation with a customer that took the time to write me an E-Mail. This gentleman called our shipping department 5 times, and did not receive a return call. A minor billing error remained on the books and was not repaired. He was justifiably upset when we spoke, but when I professionally corrected his problem, the paradigm shifted. He was now thanking me! Thats what happens when you take customer complaints seriously.

Lets go back to the terrible restaurant experience. The manager should have known there was a disaster unfolding at table 16. Encourage your customers to give honest feedback. When they do, take it seriously. For you restaurateurs out there, please, please seat me promptly. I have an early bedtime.

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