Is Your Customer Always Right?

As with any business, one of the most important aspects of your work from home business is going to be customer service. Especially in the era of social media, customer service can truly make or break your business.

You may be thinking, I have an honest business that provides a solid service and I always treat people right. So customer service won't really be an issue for me.

While certainly it helps to be good at what you do and to always operate with your customer's best interests in mind, you are unfortunately wrong if you think this alone will save you from having customer service issues.

The best way to deal with any issues that do arise is to have a plan in place for how you handle customer complaints.

If you are prepared, it will keep you from reacting emotionally to the situation and doing or saying something you might regret.

There are several things to consider when developing your customer service plan.

Is the Customer Always Right?

You've probably heard the saying, "the customer is always right." It's a motto that many big businesses have long-adopted, and teach their employees in dealing with customers.

In deciding whether you want to have this policy in your business, consider the obvious first. The customer isn't always right. 

And there are some customers who are just not worth any money they do bring to your business, usually because they cost you more in time than they will ever add to your bank balance.

Having a starting point of "the customer is always right" can make some situations very hard to deal with. "The customer deserves to be treated respectfully" may be a better place for you to start with each customer service interaction.

Your Money Back Guarantee

One policy you'll want to have clear on your website, in your contracts, in whatever way you present your business to potential clients is your refund policy.

It doesn't matter what this policy is, as much as it matters that it's clearly conveyed to your potential customer before you do business together.

Your refund policy will depend on what you're selling. If it's a service, you obviously aren't going to offer a refund after the service is fully rendered, provided the customer has gotten what she paid for. But do make it clear how far in advance the customer is required to cancel, and what portion of the fee will be returned in the event of a cancellation.

If you're selling a product, consider what's a fair amount of time to give your customer to try out the product and double that as your refund period. 

You want to be seen as having a generous return policy, but you don't have to allow people to take advantage of you.

On the other hand, don't stress about giving refunds or honoring cancellations. If you're doing business right, it won't happen often. 

And, it's usually the best thing for you when you do honor a refund request, as the customer wasn't a good fit for you anyway.

So in some instances, don't even worry if the customer is taking advantage of you, refund and move on. It will save you time and money in the end.

As a general rule, if you feel like a refund will make the customer go away as quickly and quietly as possible, do it. And turn your attention to customers that are a good fit for your business.

Customer Service on Social Media

One of the biggest issues for your business today is the popularity of social media. It's like handing each of your customers a bullhorn and asking them to step up and shout out their feelings about your business to the world.

Usually this is a great thing, as you can easily gather public testimonials from happy customers.

Unfortunately, when a customer is unhappy, he tells an average of 10 people, compared to telling only 4 people when he's happy with you.

The most likely person to take the bullhorn and talk about you on social media is the dissatisfied customer. So you need to have a plan in place for how to handle this person.

When someone lodges a complaint about you on social media, you should always respond and indicate your disappointment with the fact that they aren't satisfied and your desire to change this.

Invite them to contact you directly through the direct message feature of whichever social media platform they're using.

Don't slug it out in public with them. If your customer is the kind of person who wants to publicly tear you down, you will never win an argument on social media with her.

Do everything you reasonably can to resolve the situation privately. If she continues to troll you on social media, simply block her and walk away.

Your other customers and prospects understand that not everyone is rational, and will respect your polite dealing with and need to block someone who's clearly intent on bashing you no matter what you do.

Remember that it's Inevitable

If you have a customer service plan in place for dealing with unsatisfied customers, you'll be less likely to let your emotions take over when a complaint does come in.

Remember that even if you're the best, even if you provide perfect service, there's always going to be that occasional bad apple intent on ruining your reputation.

"You can't please everyone" is something to keep top of mind here. 

Have a policy that allows you to deal with complaints quickly, correct everything that you can, and move on to those you can serve.

If you're looking for a business that gives you full training and support on how to deal with all aspects of running a work from home business, KidsPartyCharacters.com may have just what you're looking for. 

Cheryl Jacobs, owner of Kids Party Characters, has spent six years building up her successful business and is now offering a limited number of memberships to KidsPartyCharacters.com.

Membership gives you an exclusive territory in which to book parties, the right to use our 200+ costumes, access to our casting director and acting coach, and the full support of the entire team at KidsPartyCharacters.com, which is so important as you learn the ropes of having a new business.

Book your no-pressure chat with Cheryl right here at KidsPartyCharacters.com, On the call, Cheryl will use her experience to help you decide whether this business is a good fit for you.

See more about how fun and rewarding having your own KidsPartyCharacters.com business can be by connecting with us on Facebook too.