Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

By Henry Brown

Even with the best strategy, crises occur, and it’s critical to know how to come out of it successfully and not lose your customers’ trust in the process. According to Marketing Metrics, 60% of customers will come back to make a second purchase from the same store. The reason is that they’ve built trust and, therefore, find it easier to relate to the store.

But when an issue arises, it makes your clients disappointed, and without the right remedy, most will not come back. Some won’t tell you but will post reviews on other sites or social media platforms. When such happens, you have to practice your internet marketing skills to solve the problem and gain the customer’s trust and attract more leads. How do you do so?

Get to know the problem

Maybe it was a faulty product, poor delivery service, or poor customer service team that’s made the client lose trust in you. First, find out the problem, then get back to the client. Because some clients will not directly tell you about the issues, make sure you regularly check review sites for any negative remarks and follow up on customers who’ve gone quiet. Also, have an after-sales follow-up to gauge customer’s experience.

Acknowledge the mistake

Once you realize your client is unhappy, acknowledge your mistake and don’t try to make excuses. Also, determine if the issue has affected other customers. To connect with the customer, put yourself in their shoes, understand their disappointment, and then go ahead and genuinely apologize. A customer can tell when your apology is genuine and might consider coming back. Make an apology where the customer left the review and do it in person too.

Resolve the issue

An apology is not enough if you don’t go out of your way to offer a solution. Did the customer receive faulty goods? Replace. Were they looking for some information, but no one responded? Offer a detailed explanation to their queries and even have the SEO team address it on the website for other customers. Also, follow up to make sure the client is satisfied with the solution. If it was poor service delivery, you could try to make peace by offering a new product for free or reimburse the shipment charges.

Offer an incentive

Let the client know you want to make up for the dissatisfaction by offering an incentive. It can be a new product you are yet to launch, a coupon, or a discount. Over delivering or gifting the customer goes a long way to prove your credibility. The customer will know you value their business, appreciate them, and are willing to do anything to correct the wrong. Clients tend to stick where they feel appreciated and their needs addressed.

After all this, most customers usually go back to the negative remark and explain how the problem was resolved and why they are satisfied. The review will attract more customers because everyone wants to do business with someone who admits and tries to rectify mistakes. In the end, a dissatisfied customer becomes your most effective marketing tool.

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Henry Brown is an online marketing executive. When he isn’t talking shop, he’s roaming the streets of London, uncovering the extra-ordinary in the ordinary.