As a business owner, you thrive on meeting and exceeding your customers’ expectations. So, of course, you are not planning on receiving a complaint about something that might have gone wrong. However, sometimes, these things can happen. As a business owner, you want to protect yourself against eventual issues by investing in the right people and tools. Building a team you can trust can reduce the risk of having dissatisfied customers. But errors can happen even to the most diligent of your employees. So, that’s why you want to make sure you are not leaving anything to chance.
Admit to your wrongs and correct the issue
Picture the scene: Your customer ordered product A to be delivered to their home, and you accidentally delivered a damaged product. It is your responsibility as a business to provide your customer with a solution, whether it is a full refund or a replacement product. The quicker you can fix the issue, the more likely you are to receive a positive review from your customer.
Another common situation is if one of your employees or products caused damage to the customer or their property. For example, your building team sent to complete a project in the customer’s home damaged the property when carrying heavy objects into the house. As a company, your general liability insurance policy can ensure you can compensate your customers for the damage.
Seek evidence and meet the customer half-way
There’s a good reason why CCTV cameras can help protect your business. The presence of cameras acts as a theft deterrent. But you can also use the recording as evidence for a customer’s complaint. A famous example of this is when a customer raises concerns about ineffective service or dangerous settings, while the recording caught by the camera tells a different story. A CCTV camera in Russia in 2015 caught a waitress defending herself after being groped by a customer. The business could use the filmed evidence to protect their reputation and employees if the customer were to complain.
In some cases, the camera can also show children running away from their parents and coming to harm. While the business can decline responsibility by using the film as evidence that parents should have been responsible for the child, it can also offer some compensation as a kind gesture to preserve the brand’s reputation.
Search for witnesses
If an incident occurs on your premises, it can be a good idea to look for witnesses. For instance, if an altercation happens, even if it is between customers and not related to the company, finding witnesses and providing support to the authorities can prevent backlash on the brand.
The company can make the CCTV recordings available to the relevant authorities, whether it is the police, lawyers, or even customers’ insurers.
Indeed, when an incident happens in the vicinity of a business or on the premises, the company could suffer from a negative image in the public eye, even if it played no role in the event. Therefore, helping to resolve the issue by supporting the investigation can make a big difference.
Nobody wants to be blamed by their customers. However, you can’t have everything under control. Sometimes, sh*ts are bound to happen. When they do, you need to be ready to react in the most effective way for your business and your customers.