This post is built of last week’s so make sure you start there. Let’s walk through a scenario. I’m using an example that I have experience with but the concept works with other industries.
You went to a dog walk and the walk went well, but something went wrong with the crate and the dog was loose in the house when the owner got home:
Client: Hi (you), what happened on the walk today? Spot was out when I got home and he tore through a pillow. It’s a mess in here now and I really liked that pillow! Why didn’t you put him back in his crate?
You: Oh Ms. Client I’m so sorry! I did put him back in but I must not have latched it properly. I’m so sorry about that! Is spot OK? Do you think he ate anything that might hurt him
Client: Oh, um, yeah I think he’s OK. He seems happy and really proud of himself and I can see all the stuffing. (I don’t know why but clients never think about this. What if the dog ate all the stuffing or got into some chocolate or vitamins on the counter?? I find asking this question puts things in perspective for them. And if the dog did get into something you can tell them to get the dog to the vet right away (and call you for a credit card) and now you’re the dog walker that let the dog out but you also (hopefully) saved its life)
You: I’m so happy to hear Spot is OK. I will waive the fee for today’s walk and I would be happy to replace the pillow for you. If you don’t mind, could we set up some time to go over how the crate works one more time? I don’t want this to happen again. (You might not need to do this. Sometimes you just weren’t focusing and you know exactly how the crate works. If you know you latched it and the dog got out, you can talk about ways to secure the crate. You also probably wouldn’t offer to replace the pillow if the dog Houdini’d out but I might waive or discount the walk fee as a nice gesture and then educate about carabeaners etc)
Client: Oh, thank you that would be great. I don’t want it to happen again either. Let’s set up some time. There’s no need to pay for the pillow. (They might not say this, but they often do. If it’s higher dollar like a couch or an iPad, they’re probably going to want you to pony up for at least a portion, but most of the time they know it’s their dog and things happen).
I’ll admit, it doesn’t always go this smoothly. I’ve had people ask me how stupid a person could be if they’re a dog walker that doesn’t know how to latch a crate. Ultimately though, this process works. Even if they’re yelling and ranting. I do not tolerate abuse of my dog walkers and that client got a sound reminder of how to treat other human beings, but I did tell her that I understood her frustration and I would do some more training with said dog walker and make sure they were comfortable. Problem solved.
Can you share a time when you made a mistake and had to flex your customer service muscles? What did you do well? What would you do differently? Stay tuned next week for a look inside some of the details you learn about people when you’re in their homes and how to manage it.