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You can’t make everyone happy, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try

Not everyone is going to be a raving fan of our business, referring customers, and dropping five-star reviews every place they possibly can. Some customers won’t be happy with our service, whether it has to do with the terrible day they’re having, or the way they were treated when they contacted our business. While everyone loves hearing rave reviews, those aren’t helping our business grow as much as the bad reviews. The bad reviews and feedback point out where our business is falling short and what we need to do to improve customer experience.

"When a customer makes a complaint, we have to take it seriously because it reflects disconnect between the customer and our brand."

There’s a popular saying, “you can’t make everyone happy.” While it is impossible to make every single person happy, we can work harder to make our customers happier and improve our business in the process, if only we listen to what they have to say and take action.

They’re not the only one

Sure, this may have been the only customer who stepped forward and lodged a complaint, but you have to understand they’re not the only customer who’s had this problem, they’re just the only one who said something.

When a customer makes a complaint, we have to take it seriously because it reflects disconnect between the customer and our brand. If they’re complaining about a certain function of our service that isn’t working for them, as yourself if you could see the issue spanning multiple customers.

It’s integral you don’t brush aside their complaint. You have to interact with your customer, and you have to address the issue not only for them but for all of your current and future clients, so they don’t experience the same negativity. But this is more than a task for your customer-facing staff. It’s a task for the entire company.

Getting the right feedback and how to take action

It’s often easy to understand what our customers are saying. They had an issue, and now they don’t see our brand in the same light as they did before. That’s something we want to correct, but how?

Many companies don’t act on customer complaints. They survey the data and may reach out to the customer, but they’re unsure how to take it a step further and grow their business.

Growth starts with the root cause. Where did the disconnect happen with our customer? We have to put ourselves in their shoes and understand what their experience was like. We have to see our product or service the way they do, and then find the problem. Once we know the problem, then we can roll out a plan to fix it.

Make sure when you’re using a survey that you’re asking customers the right questions to help further your business. Some questions can help you get to know your customers better, but others can help you get to know your business better. When customers see that you’re taking their suggestions and working to improve them, they may be more helpful in the future, offering suggestions or ideas to help further your brand. It will also show them that you’re a business that takes them seriously and truly values their opinions.

Are you unsure what steps you need to take to help improve customer service based on the feedback you’ve received? Our feature makes it easier for you by taking the complaint and turning it into actionable steps to improve your business and cut down on similar reviews in the future!