YOU GET TO DECIDE
One way to deal with an irate customer
As the owner of a bespoke bridal boutique, I work exclusively on an appointment basis. Most clients respect this rule and I have had some wonderful brides walk through my doors. But once in a rare blue moon, a person walks in, from a place of entitlement and can rile you up with their hot temperament and their idea of customer service.
I had one such encounter over the weekend. I was not at my home studio and was elsewhere in a meeting. I had a client who just turned up at my studio, who then proceeded to repeatedly call me, even after I informed her via text that I was in a meeting. She made a scene at my building and yelled at me when I finally called back. I was polite to start off with but once I realized, she would not heed to reason I was firm and ended the call. That was apparently not enough for her as she then took the time to leave a scathing reply. I will not lie…….when I read it, despite having run my business successfully for eleven years, her words did strike a nerve. I treat my business like my baby, and I forgive myself from time to time when I take a client’s words to heart. It was the weekend, and I could have let her words dictate the mood for the rest of my weekend but here’s where it gets good.
I did a mental dump of an equally scathing response. No filter but just whatever I wanted to say in the moment. I must admit it felt cathartic to an extent, but I did not feel at peace. In case you are wondering this was a draft. I never send any emails or messages as a knee jerk reaction.
The words are most often salted with the weight of emotions and the actual message gets lost in the melee.
Instead, I took some time out and decided to draft an alternate response just below this mental dump. It came from a place of peace. A friend also referred to it as a response from a “Zen State”. (Yes I do run my responses by my friends, whose opinion matters) This message conveyed to the client what my business stood for, it respected her opinion and it also chose to not indulge in defending myself in a ‘he said-she said’ boomerang war.
A funny thing happened once I wrote it. I suddenly felt at peace. The client just dropped out of my consciousness. I had given the situation as much energy as it needed and not an ounce more. I was in a place where I could enjoy the weekend like I was meant to, with my girls. I waited an entire day before finally sending it.
I could have alternately chosen to remove her review, but I prefer for people to read the good and the bad. I have nothing to hide and I offer quality wedding dresses with a pre-condition that both my time and their time be valued, and that they take an appointment. Now if that’s a tall order in some people’s mind then that has more to do with them than me.
I quite liked that I chose to send the second response. Anyone searching for my boutique can see this public review with my response, among so many other ‘happy customer’ reviews. Strangely after I posted it, I have got a barrage of calls from clients wanting an appointment. Maybe it’s to do with my response to the most recent review or just a coincidence.
If you receive an email from an angry boss, senior or customer try writing out a couple of responses with different tonalities and see what works best for you. Hang onto it for a day or two if your situation allows it, and then send the one that brings you the most peace. At the end of the day, it’s your inner peace that matters. They say, “The customer is always right” and while I am all for good customer service it also matters that you align with your own values while offering great service. Sometimes the Retailer/Seller can also be right.
