I read a report recently that stated that American businesses lose on average 15% of their customer base every year. But what was really interesting were the reasons why.
Of those that leave:
68% leave because of poor or indifferent service
14% leave because of a complaint that was not handled satisfactorily
9% leave because of price
5% go somewhere else because of a recommendation
1% die
I'm sure it's not that much different in the UK. If so, that's an astonishing 82% (68 + 14) that leave because of a customer service issue. And most of those customers will not bother to complain... they just won't use you again!
It reminds me of a scene in the British sitcom Fawlty Towers when the two old ladies are complaining to each other about the meal in the restaurant but just don't want to complain. Instead they end their conversation by saying "well, we just won't come back"
It costs a small fortune to acquire a new customer. In fact, it's one of the most expensive and difficult things that your business will ever do. So it makes sense to look after the ones you've already got. You simply cannot afford to lose them. And you can't just wait for complaints. You actually need to go looking for trouble and fix whatever it is that disappoints your customers.
As noted above, 82% of customers go elsewhere NOT because of a cheaper price as is often thought but because of poor customer service. This is yet another good reason not to be the cheapest carpet cleaner in your area. The "3 rooms for 40 or a whole house of carpets for 69" brigade can never deliver truly good service which is good news for you.
So how can you go looking for trouble? Well, quite simply welcome complaints... in fact, seek them out!
How can this be done? One way is a simple phone call a day or two after you have cleaned their carpets to make sure that they are totally happy with your work. An alternative is to leave behind a report card that asks the right questions. A good question to ask is whether or not they are likely to recommend you to others. Any hesitation here or a low score on a report card means you need to take immediate action.
And if there is a complaint, don't view it as a problem view it as an opportunity. In fact, actively welcome it's an opportunity to make them happy. And a customer who has a complaint resolved satisfactorily is likely to return to you again and again AND tell others how you treated them because it's so unusual.
I had a case of this in 2007. A lady was very unhappy with our work (which was simply a misunderstanding of what should have been done). She concluded the conversation by saying that she "may give us another chance". However, since then she has used us every year at an annual cleaning cost of over £400. That's nearly £4000 of business in the last nine years because we resolved the complaint to her satisfaction and without any fuss.
I'm now very pleased that I had a system in place whereby she could feel that she could complain and something would be done without making her feel awkward. It's resulted in a very happy customer... and about four thousand pounds in my pocket.