There are so many things that can go wrong for customers — from technology failures, to account problems, to misshipments, and more. But the common ingredient is that there was a failure to meet the customer’s expectations. What can frontline reps do to turn around these service recovery situations?
In Customer Communicator, the training and motivation newsletter for frontline reps, the editor’s share a five-step service recovery process developed by the Disney Institute.
It’s called H.E.A.R.D. and it works like this:
Hear: Let the customer tell their entire story without interruption.
Empathize: Show that you understand how the customer feels. Use phrases like “I’d be frustrated, too.”
Apologize: Even if you are not responsible for the problem, apologize for its impact on the customer.
Resolve: Find the best solution for the customer.
Diagnose: Get to the bottom of why the mistake occurred and how it can be avoided in the future.
More practical service tips appear each month in Customer Communicator newsletter.