Question: Is it just a complaint, or an opportunity for improvement?
Answer: Opportunity for Improvement!
No matter what your line of work may be, there are likely going to be unhappy clients at some point. Although this isn’t the most fun part of the job, if customer complaints are taken care of correctly, they can end up being your most loyal customers because they know they will be taken care of. In reality, we should be exceptionally grateful when we get feedback from customers as this provides us a way to improve our services. For any 1 customer complaint a business receives, you can expect that there have been other unhappy customers that chose to not say anything. A part of a business’ success is word of mouth, if a complaint is not taken care of correctly, you can expect for that person to tell others about it. Therefore, it is important to take this feedback seriously.
When a customer has a complaint, it is most important to LISTEN. Be sure you have all of the facts straight from the customer’s point of view. Everyone has different expectations; what is ideal in a beauty professional’s mind may be different in the client’s mind. When you fully understand the situation, find out what the customer wants out of it. Do they want their service done a different way to satisfy their standards? Do they want a refund or discount? May they just wanted to make you aware of an issue? A complaint is not fully satisfied, until the customer gets what they want. The goal is to keep the customer happy so they return. The next step is a follow up (if needed). For example, if a client’s skin had a reaction to the facial products, follow up in a day or two to see how their skin is doing and offer at-home remedies. This will show that your business truly cares. Finally always remember to thank your customer for bringing the issue to your attention.