In the recent Forbes article Three Steps to Calming https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesbusinesscouncil/2022/02/14/three-steps-to-calming-angry-customers/Angry Customers, founder Paul Griffin opened up about recent experiences in which Griffin Living was not able to live up to its customer promise, resulting in disappointed and sometimes frustrated customers.
“Even the very best plans can be interrupted by external factors outside of our control, leaving us scrambling to calm angry customers,” says Griffin.
“Instead of hiding behind the problem, our approach is to acknowledge it so we can fix it and prevent it from happening again.”
In the article, Griffin outlines three simple but effective strategies for pivoting when customer expectations aren’t met.
1. Get Face-To-Face With Your Customers
Griffin decided to host a “meet the developer” event so he could talk directly with senior living residents and family members.
“Meeting face-to-face with our customers allowed my team to make a personal connection and establish trust in our brand,” says Griffin.
2. Hold Space For Negative Comments
Listen to your customers, even if you won’t like hearing what they have to say. Listening is essential to any relationship, including the relationship you have with your customers.
“It’s much easier to repair bonds if you come to the table with compassion, respect, and accountability,” says Griffin.
3. Be Transparent About The Situation
While supply-chain issues are what prevented Griffin Living from opening its senior living communities on time, Griffin realized that shifting the blame would do little to repair the damage.
“While the supply chain shortages and shipping backups weren’t our fault,” says Griffin “my team recognized that we could’ve done a much better job communicating these delays to our future residents. We were bad communicators, and we took accountability for that.”
“While the supply chain shortages and shipping backups weren’t our fault, my team recognized that we could’ve done a much better job communicating these delays to our future residents. We were bad communicators, and we took accountability for that.”
Paul Griffin
You can read the full article at Forbes.com.
