6 Tips for Turning a Dissatisfied Client into a Loyal Customer

Although your business works very hard to maintain a positive relationship with your consumer base, the truth of the matter is you will not please everyone. With that said, we have 6 tips that'll make it possible to turn your dissatisfied clients into loyal customers.

Remember the time when that company you were working with really messed up? Remember how angry you were? Remember how they handled the situation terribly and you vowed never to work with them again?

You're not alone in this kind of experience.

However, it's probably also true that, as a member of a business, you've been on the other side of a similar situation--dealing with an angry customer who feels dissatisfied with the way a certain situation is handled, then booking it for the hills and never coming back again.

It's tough to please everyone, but when it comes to customer satisfaction and service, you've really got to give it your best effort every time. If you're dealing with an angry customer, you'll want to resolve the situation and get them to stick around and become (or remain) a loyal customer.

Here are 6 tips that'll help you make that happen!

1. React Quickly

Remember, reacting quickly isn't the same as reacting without thinking. But responding promptly to customer complaints and concerns is beyond important if you're hoping to turn your angry customers into loyal ones.

If your customers are angry, one of the most surefire ways to make them even more so is to make them wait. You should respond quickly to your customers all the time, but especially after you've messed up. Be prepared to put all else aside in order to address customer complaints before anything else.

Reacting quickly when your customers are angry or upset shows them that you do care about them and their business, despite your mistakes. It reassures customers that they are, in fact, important and valued, which gives them a reason to stick around!

2. Listen Up

There's nothing worse than being angry, but unable to express your frustrations. It's important to respect your customers and what they have to say--so although you should have sincere apologies at the ready as quickly as possible, you should also be prepared to listen immediately upon addressing the situation.

Your customers will likely have much to say, depending on just how badly awry the situation has gone. Listen to their frustrations. Listen to their demands. Take the time to listen and really understand what it is your customers want in the way of fixing the situation.

In some cases, even once the situation has been remedied, your customers may still have complaints to voice. Be patient and be sure the customer knows you're taking their feedback seriously. The more grace and attention you show as you right the present situation, the more faith they'll have in the future of your relationship.

3. Overcompensate

Overcompensating in daily life is usually seen as a bad thing--but when it comes to making situations right with customers, there's really no such thing as overcompensation. When righting situations where you and your team are at fault, or your customer is otherwise unhappy, you'll need to go above and beyond.

Many customers' main desire when a company makes a mistake is simply to have the situation fixed and for a sincere apology to be offered. But it's important that you exceed this expectation in many situations. Consider offering a small discount or another benefit as an extension of your apology.

Think about what it is that could not only make your customers less upset about the situation but also reinstall their trust in you and get them to stick around long-term because of the ways you've compensated for your mistakes.

4. Ask for Feedback

We talked about the necessity of being patient and listening carefully to your customers' complaints and frustrations, but sometimes it's important to take this a step further still. Go out of your way to ask customers for feedback on how you could have better handled the situation, or even have prevented it from occurring at all.

Asking for customer feedback not only offers your team important customer insights, but it also makes it clear that you really do value their perspectives. Plus, you're willing to go the extra mile to right the situation and change moving forward.

Especially if you're looking for the opportunity to turn angry customers into customers who stick around after the fact, it's super important to demonstrate to them that you're eager to change for the better. It's important that customers feel not only as though their complaints are heard, but that their opinions matter to the way your business functions.

5. Rethink Your Approach

You need to be careful not to become a sort of "boy who cried wolf" when it comes to fixing situations to prevent future occurrences. Resolving problems with individual customers as they arise is necessary--but it's only a band-aid. You need to take measures to rethink your approach, in addition to the work you do to resolve the situation at hand, so you won't run into the same problems again.

This is a major reason why it's so important to ask customers for feedback; when a problem occurs, you've got to rethink your approach in order to prevent it from happening again.

When customers can see your active efforts to change and improve, they'll be more likely to stick around, since you'll be less likely to make the same frustrating mistakes again.

6. The Golden Rule

Above all else when dealing with angry customers, remember this: Treat others how you'd want to be treated.

Take the time and care to put yourself in their shoes. Chances are, you'd be angry, too. What measures would you want to see taken to fix the situation? What would you expect to happen? What would make you stick around after the problem is resolved?

At the end of the day, you're not just dealing with customers--you're dealing with people. Consider how it is you'd want to be treated if you found yourself on the other side of the situation, and do everything in your power to offer your customers that treatment!

If you were treated how you wanted to be, you'd remain a loyal customer, right?

Want More on How to Make a Loyal Customer?

No matter how big or small, new or old your business is, you need customers who'll keep coming back for you and your services.

For more on how to make and keep the loyal customer, check out our blog!