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...unhappy customers Losing repeat business can be costly to any business, so how can you turn things around when you receive complaints? 01 Practice empathy Customer’s experience added frustration when they voice their concerns to someone who doesn’t acknowledge their feelings or apologise. “There’s a difference between hearing and listening,” confirms Omowunmi Akingbohungbe, author of Oops! The Client is Upset. “Listening is for you to understand and figure out what the issues are. Some people say ‘why should I say sorry? It’s not my fault. But you can simply be sorry because that person feels the way they do.” 03 Adjust your mindset Receiving criticism can be a hard pill to swallow, especially when it’s your business. Take a deep breath – it’s important you criticism to your business personally. “Before you service people, you need to service your mind knowing that meeting angry clients is inevitable, says Omowunmi. “When you meet them, do not take it personal, be passionate about listening to them and empathise.” Remember, sometimes people are just having a bad day and need someone to take it out on. 02 Be knowledgeable Get familiar with your franchise brand’s policies surrounding customer experience as well as discounts and freebies. “When you’re knowledgeable it helps you take concessions in certain situations,” explains Omowunmi. “You’re able to discern whether you’re going out of the scope or staying within. It enables you to say: I’m sorry at this point in time we’re not able tod o this but I could offer you these alternatives.” 05 Draw the line While most customers are reasonable, occasionally you’ll come across someone with an axe to grind. It’s important not to take criticism personally, but there are limits particularly when it comes to abuse. “You need to know where to take a bow and still do it in a very professional manner,” says Omowunmi. “I always applaud organisations that take that position and even have a clearly documented policy that we expect you to respect our staff.” 5 WAYS TO DEAL WITH... 04 Get feedback Don’t sweep negative criticism under the carpet, even after you’ve resolved an issue with a client follow up afterwards and let them know if you’ve made any changes. “This is particularly important,” says Omowunmi. “Just getting that feedback enables you to critically analyse that data and run through that experience again. What can you improve? What can you do better?When you take that on board you can prevent such complaints happening.” 55 WHAT-FRANCHISE.COM Ins ights