If you own a cleaning business, rest assured, you will get a complaint of one kind or another no matter how well you run your company.
That’s just the way it is, and I seriously doubt that it will change in my lifetime. But that’s OK, it’s the same for just about every industry.
What is really important once a complaint occurs is how you deal with it. Far too many business owners get upset, resentful and annoyed when these calls come in. I get that, it’s human nature. But as a business owner you need to RISE ABOVE IT.
The video below should help guide you to improved customer satisfaction, an increase in testimonials and a more profitable company. It shares the 9 steps needed to make that unhappy client happy again. It’s not that hard to pull off, so check out the video below!
Written Outline For Resolving Customer Complaints
In case you can’t watch the video for some reason, here is a brief outline. Call the customer and follow the scrip below. Feel free to modify it to suit your needs (you don’t want to come across as a ROBOT).
Step 1. SAY… “Thank you for letting us know”.
It all begins with a thank you!
Step 2. SAY… “I sincerely apologize for the disruption this has caused you”.
This shows you care and understand their frustration.
Step 3 SAY… “Let me reassure you we will do everything possible to correct this”.
This means you aren’t going to run and hide.
Step 4 SAY… “Let me make sure I got this right, your concerns are…”
Probe to find exact cause so you know what needs fixing.
Step 5 TAKE ACTION… Put a big smile on your face and go fix it.
All talk and no actions will get you in trouble!
Step 6 TAKE MORE ACTION… Do something extra in addition to fixing the original problem.
Maybe remove a carpet stain, clean some windows. Maybe 15 minutes of extra work. IE: Go the EXTRA MILE for them!
Step 7 CALL THE CUSTOMER AGAIN… Call the customer the next day and review what was done.
This lets them know you addressed it, plus did a little extra.
Step 8 ANOTHER THANK YOU IS NEEDED… Thank them again for bringing this to your attention.
Before hanging up and completing Step 7, thank them once again to complete Step 8. You can’t be too thankful!
Step 9 TAKE ACTION… Wait three days then send them a personal note.
Personal notes help strengthen the relationship. It lets them know you care.
You are done! Pat yourself on the back, as the odds are extremely high that you just turned a potentially bad situation into a positive one. All it took was some “care and concern” bundled with “some action”. That powerful combination that is guaranteed to make a happier and more profitable cleaning company.
My biggest office contract complained that the cleaner kept “taking shortcuts” in his cleaning.
It was the third complaint about him in one month! I got rid of him of course. To make it up to the customer I did a free carpet clean which took two hours. Ok it cost money to rent the machine. But I had to save the contract and as a result they want regular carpet cleaning now. The customer is happy now 😉
You turned a negative into a positive. GREAT!