Satisfied customers are essential for a thriving business, but things can sometimes go wrong. Businesses that provide the highest-quality products and services occasionally encounter dissatisfied or irate clients. In such scenarios, a company should follow a strategy when delivering bad news.
The following are a few examples of "bad news" that can arise:
- Price increase for goods and services
- Failure to meet delivery deadlines for a product or service
- Unavailable products
- Bugs in software
- Cancellations of events
It is essential to know how to deliver such bad news to customers professionally and respectfully so that the company can adequately resolve a customer's problem.
Here are five best practices to remember.
1. Prioritize Transparency
Customer service should never claim that the company's product is impervious to issues. Clients usually forgive product or delivery problems if they are appropriately managed.
Nonetheless, it is always best to notify customers of future or anticipated problems. When a flaw is discovered in a product (such as a bug that has the potential to impair a user's productivity), it’s important to be transparent and communicate so with customers as early as possible.
2. Accept Accountability
It is vital never to shift blame as it will only cause confusion and uncertainty. It is better to take responsibility for the customer's problem, which means admitting a problem exists and outlining a solution. Accepting accountability is essential even if the bad news is unavoidable and there is no other recourse.
Ideally, one should not blame partners, vendors, or developers either -- instead, it’s key to clarify the chain of events that led to the issue objectively and analytically. Customers want to know that a brand is accountable for its results and that support agents are working for their best interests within the company.
3. Acknowledge Customers’ Feelings and Focus on Empathy
When unpleasant news is delivered to customers, they may be rightfully upset. Every agent's duty is to provide them with compassion and empathy. It is crucial to not diminish their feelings by implying that the issue is "not that big."
Before a course of action can be implemented, helping customers deal with any negative feelings is also necessary. It’s important to let the customer know that the team cares about how the unfortunate news is hurting them by promoting an atmosphere of understanding and empathy.