Even if you aren’t able to give an unhappy customer exactly what he wants, you may be able to reach an amicable resolution — if you do your homework. Stock up on solutions and you’ll find yourself ready for any customer problem.

Check with your supervisor and see what kind of latitude you have when rectifying a customer’s problem. If you know ahead of time that you have the authority to offer a customer one month of free service, a discount or a special perk, it’ll make your job go more smoothly when it’s time to appease an unhappy customer.

When discussing perks with your supervisor, consider the severity of different customer-service dilemmas. For example: If a customer received the wrong product, the obvious solution is to send him the correct product right away. As an added perk, you can send it overnight and offer him a free installation or limited service plan. This will make him feel like he just received extra value for his inconvenience.

But something that simple may not work for every situation. In a more severe case, you could have a customer who has had a problem drag on for months. Perhaps he’s waiting on a refund and every time he calls customer service, he can’t resolve the issue. Everyone he speaks to tells him that the check is in the mail — but he never receives it.

He is frustrated and feels like he is getting the runaround from everyone in your organization. If you’re the next one to receive his call, you’ve got your work cut out for you. He’s angry, and rightfully so. The simple solution is to make sure a check is cut for him immediately. But that should have been done months ago, and by now he’s ready to say goodbye to your organization. This type of customer is a more severe case because he’s ready to dump your service.

This customer may require a little more padding to keep him onboard; consider offering him six months of free service or a free trial for a different product. Your manager may give you authority to approve the smaller perks but require you to request approval for the larger ones on a case-by-case basis. Either way, it’s a great way to work together to make your customers happy.

Filed under: Customer Service Corner