karen friedman

We have been frequenting the same neighborhood pizza place I’ll call ‘Sam’s’ for about two decades. The food is great. The price is right. The service is always delivered with a friendly smile. Recently, our local eatery was sold to a family member. The menu is the same, so we ordered what we usually order, salads with grilled chicken.

As I started eating my salad, I commented to my husband that the chicken seemed undercooked. He didn’t notice, so we both continued to finish our meals. Hours later in the middle of the night, those meals came calling in the name of very unpleasant upset stomachs.

As the next day progressed and we both continued to feel ill, I called the restaurant and asked for the owner. I wasn’t looking for an apology or a refund. I simply wanted to let the establishment know that we may have been sickened by undercooked chicken so they could check into it to prevent anyone else from getting sick.

No sooner than I started to explain what happened, than the manager cut me off and started yelling.

“There is nothing wrong with my chicken! I will swear on my first born’s life!”

Trying to cut in and say I wasn’t saying anything was wrong with his chicken, he kept talking.

“You and your husband come to my restaurant right now and I will show you how I prepare the chicken.”

I said we believed he takes great care when preparing, but because we both ordered the same meal and we both got sick, it seemed coincidental, so perhaps he received a bad batch of chicken, or it just wasn’t cooked thoroughly.

He wasn’t interested and just kept yelling at me. I finally hung up.

Owners who ignore customer complaints risk damaging their reputation, losing customer trust, and missing out on opportunities for future business. Even though Sam’s is a popular spot that has been around for a very long time, it was the original owner who built a loyal following. Once word gets out that the new owner doesn’t appear to take customer complaints seriously, Sam’s could have a problem.

Unaddressed or unresolved complaints have always led to negative word-of-mouth, but in today’s connected world, disgruntled customers can quickly share their experiences on social media, review sites, forums or in articles like this one. If I tell ten people who tell ten people who tell ten more people, that can potentially deter hundreds from doing business with Sam’s.

If Sam’s owner had listened and expressed empathy or concern, I may have quickly forgotten about it, and he would have continued to earn our repeat business. Instead, the only repetition is negative-word-of-mouth regarding his unresponsiveness and argumentative demeanor. And it is unlikely we will return to his restaurant.

So even if the customer is not always right, what should a business do to regain a customer’s loyalty and trust? Here are 5 A’s to demonstrate your commitment to customer satisfaction:

1. Active Listening: You have two ears and one mouth for a reason. Use those two ears to listen before opening your mouth to interrupt. Hearing the customers’ perspective conveys empathy, understanding and validates their feelings.
2. Acknowledge the Complaint: Promptly acknowledge the customer’s dissatisfaction and thank them for bringing it to your attention.
3. Apologize Sincerely: Apologize for the inconvenience or frustration the customer experienced. In Sam’s case, you don’t have to agree that the chicken may have been tainted or undercooked. Apologizing that they are upset shows you are taking responsibility.
4. Action Steps: Investigate the issue to determine if there is a problem and what you can do to resolve it. This may involve proactive steps to prevent similar problems in the future. Or it could involve updating procedures, providing additional staff training, or improving quality control measures.
5. Above and Beyond: Consider exceeding your customers’ expectations with a complimentary refund, replacement, or discount. Encourage them to communicate with you if they ever have a problem in the future.

Certainly, there are some situations where a business owner may not want to do further business with a customer. However, yelling at any customer only exacerbates the situation and makes the owner appear confrontational and unprofessional.

In any situation where rebuilding trust and loyalty with an unhappy customer is a priority, it’s essential to approach it with empathy and a sincere desire to resolve the issue. By taking these steps, businesses of any size can demonstrate their commitment to customer satisfaction so unhappy customers want to continue doing business with your company.

While driving down a highway in Arizona recently, I saw a billboard that said, “hands on the wheel, not your meal.” I actually laughed out loud.

Apparently, the federal government doesn’t share my sense of humor. They are in a bit of a tizzy over billboards and large blinking signs that have popped up on highways across the country blaring funny quirky messages like “Visiting in-laws? Slow down, get there late,” “Don’t drive Star Spangled Hammered” and “Seat belts are in, everybody’s wearing them.”

For the last seven years in Arizona, the state Department of Transportation held a contest to find the funniest and most creative messages generating nearly 4000 entries last year and other states have since followed. The catchy, yet unusual campaign is designed to grab attention and get drivers to slow down.

Administration officials who don’t seem to appreciate the jokes and puns have strongly encouraged states to put the brakes on these eye-popping electronic signs saying they can be misunderstood and distracting to drivers. While many drivers who have been interviewed by local media say they really enjoy the signs and think they’re effective, others say anything that takes people’s eyes off the road isn’t a good thing.

I think this needs some perspective.

For starters, drivers are already challenged by smart phones, app filled dashboards, GPS devices and other mobile innovative technology that keeps their eyes repeatedly darting on and off the road. In the internet age where videos and memes have penetrated every area of our lives, I say kudos to the Department of Transportation for accelerating their communications with concise witty slogans that make your drive more fun and messages more memorable.

To be an effective communicator, you have to find a way to break through the noise to capture your audience’s attention. In an era of information overload and dwindling attention spans, people frequently skim through content to move onto the next thing. Effective communicators in all arenas understand the importance of quickly grabbing attention to deliver messages in a clear crisp engaging manner before their audience tunes out.

Just like communication is no longer confined to traditional channels of the past, traditional agencies need to look for ways to say things differently on different platforms.

As an example, conventional transportation slogans like “Slow Down, Save Lives, “Don’t Text and Drive” and “Buckle Up for Safety” are memorable and likely still resonate in their goal to raise safety awareness. However, updating messages and slogans is important to prevent message fatigue and to stay relevant to younger audiences by demonstrating an understanding of changing demographics.

That’s what the Mississippi Department of Transportation did when the “Barbie” movie came out last year. Instead of a traditional slogan telling drivers not to text, they posted “Be a Doll, Use Your Accessories at Home.” Iowa opted for “Texting & Driving? Oh Cell No!” and New Jersey referenced Bruce Springsteen lyrics warning drivers “Slow Down. This Ain’t Thunder Road.”

Other forward-thinking companies do the same. FedEx used to boast “Relax, It’s FedEx” and “Our Most Important Package is Yours.”  Today, their tagline is “The World On Time.” L’oreal used to say, “Because I’m worth it.” They changed that tagline to “Because you’re worth it.” Campbell’s Soup used to promote “Soup is Good Food” and changed their tagline to the memorable “Mm! Mmm! Good!”

Whether on highways, in meetings or when delivering your next PowerPoint presentation, when used tastefully and appropriately, messages that cut through the clutter stand a better chance of being noticed and remembered.

If I could send a personal message to federal officials who want creative message makers to take their foot off the gas, I would say “Let’s Laugh and Drive: Smiles Should Have the Right of Way.”