The Web Design Business Kit Chapter 11 - Handle Client Complaints

When The Blame Falls On You

One of our Web businesses experienced a very large increase in orders over a two week period. Our manufacturer could not keep up with demand and we were looking at delays of almost a month in filling orders. However, by the time we were finished with our crisis management, not one person had become upset. Not one person cancelled an order.

Not one person complained. Hundreds wrote and thanked us.

Our simple strategy was this. We wrote an email to our customers (about 1,000 of them). We told them that, because we'd made the mistake of underestimating the huge demand, we did not have enough stock to fill their orders immediately. The estimated time of arrival for their product was one month. We apologized for the delay and we took full responsibility for it.

Take full responsibility—problems aren't the client's fault.

Our message was not, "Due to huge demand our manufacturer has been unable to supply us," but instead a sincere, "Wow! We certainly didn't anticipate the response to our marketing strategy that we've had. It's completely our fault that we don't have enough stock… sorry."

We told them that we'd understand if they wanted to cancel their orders, as we hadn't met our part of the bargain, but at the same time, we urged them to hang in there, and we'd ship their product as soon as possible.

Incredibly, the only responses we received were positive messages saying, "Thanks for keeping us informed!" It was unbelievable. I expected quite a few irate messages, but
we didn't receive a single one.

We then emailed the waiting customers an update every week. Again, more emails of thanks flooded in. When we finally shipped out, every customer received a small gift to say, "sorry for the delay," along with a personalized letter of apology.

What looked like a disaster turned out to be a triumph (of sorts!). We maintained close contact with the customers, developed the perception that we were trustworthy and ethical, and we even eventually exceeded customers' expectations (with the gift).

I never have taken a look at the stats but I'd guess that the 1,000 customers we kept waiting for a month would have higher repurchase rates than those of the customers we served immediately.

Research shows that clients who complain, and whose complaints are satisfactorily resolved, are more loyal than those who never had a problem!

And as we've discussed, this effect is related to the perceived risk of dealing with you. People always seem to assume the worst in clients. I can't understand why. Treat them with respect and reason, and you'll get the same in return.

Now, obviously products are different from services, and the contracting of Web development services is different to my online store's fulfilment problem.

Messing Up On The Web

A Website is different from any other product—it's such a subjective item. What if your client complains about the design of the site? Surely that's a subjective thing and—being the hot designer that you are—you're much better qualified to judge what's best. Right?

Wrong.

There is no such thing as good Website design. It's a subjective thing. Depending on what side of the fence you're on, the design can look great or it can look like garbage. Whose fault is it if you do a wonderful design and the client complains about it? It's yours.

You should have educated the client every step of the way and made the design a consultative process. This is the very same reason why your guarantee should never be called in. If you closely consult with your clients and keep them fully educated about the whys and wherefores of the design, then you will have happy clients.

In short, if you don't pay attention to your clients, they have excellent grounds for complaint.

Key Points

• If you mess up, admit it openly and fully.
• Take full responsibility for what happened.
• Provide options and solutions to the problems caused by the error.
• Reap the rewards from increased client loyalty.