Where do your customer complaints come in?

[Pesso]

Hey Square Readers,

As we’re nearing the halfway point of Hug Your Haters by Jay Baer, let’s talk about the kinds of complaints we get, and where they come in.

Jay Baer explains the concept of Onstage and Offstage haters. Offstage contact you privately by email, phone, or in person. Their goal is to resolve an issue or to give feedback, and they typically expect a response. Onstage complain publicly through reviews or social media. There typically tends to be at least some form of performative element to the onstage ones, and they don’t typically expect a response.

The author says that by answering every complaint, no matter the channel that it comes in from, and doing our best to resolve their issues, we can exceed these expectations and turn these unhappy customers into neutral or even happy customers.

We’d love to hear your answers in the comments:

• Where do you get most of your complaints: onstage or offstage? 
• How quickly do you typically answer them?
• How do these customers tend to react: positively or negatively?

You can also get some extra bonus content not in the book, see some workshops and webinars, and more at their website, www.hugyourhaters.com 

View and Subscribe to all threads about this book. 

Happy reading,

Pesso

[pigsnoseinn]

As we are a restaurant, when customers complain, they tend to do it via TripAdvisor or OpenTable. It's very irritating because we would prefer customers to make their issues known to us in person during their visit to give us time to rectify their issues, ensuring they have a better experience.

I try to respond as soon as I see a comment go up, and we tend to get a mixture of excellent and terrible reviews, but luckily every 20 or so good reviews is 1 bad one so we are well 4.5 stars.

[Pesso]

I definitely feel that, @pigsnoseinn -- 

As an owner/manager, it's always frustrating when customers don't come to you first to fix it, and instead just share it out in public. Unfortunately there's definitely that performative element, rather than actually looking for a solution.

That's a really great ratio though, and I'm so glad your score is high! Great job!

[PartyManiaMD]

I haven't had any online complaints in over 2 years (knock on wood), people will occasionally complain about prices in store but we are competitive and offer great rewards so there aren't very many valid reasons for them to complain. Our service is great, prices are competitive, and we keep stuff stocked. Anyone complaining is generally just discount fishing which you learn to spot from a mile away.

Like I said in another post we've had millions of customers and 80 reviews over 13 years. By any meaningful statistics reviews are such an outlier after the first year that it's best to take negative reviews with a huge grain of salt. Like any place is going to have enough volume that a few reviews rarely speak for the majority. 

I used to be in corporate and they'd complain to try to get free stuff and 9/10 times corporate would give them free stuff, perpetuating a cycle of negativity and basically rewarding it.

[Pesso]

That's absolutely incredible that you don't get complaints online anymore, @PartyManiaMD !

It really sounds like you're doing great work in running a really compelling and customer-focused business -- that's huge!

For sure -- gotta take what you can from reviews to a certain extent, but definitely with a grain of salt, and leave the rest for what they are. 

[bonny]

I've bent over backward to make sure my customers are happy.  To date I've had just two complaints... both emailed me.  One was that an order arrived broken (I immediately shipped a replacement) and the other, the clock didn't work (I sent a replacement clockwork even though I was sure it was an adjustment issue).  I've been a solopreneur for years so it's a good thing I don't have a string of bad reviews haunting me.  The book is preparing me for the "what if" scenario.  

[bonny]

I also wanted to add to my previous comment that the book has given me insight into why I shouldn't dread potential bad or less than desirable reviews.  It shifted my paradigm to looking at them as potential opportunities, which I had previously never considered.  

[Pesso]

Thanks for sharing, @bonny !

That's so wonderful that the complaints come in privately so you can address them, and that you worked so quickly to make it right. 

That's a really great perspective from the book -- absolutely looking at them as opportunities rather than worries. You got this!

[MudFire_Dex]

We would always want to try to resolve an issue in person or via email but folks love to Yelp when they feel wronged  🙂 - We recently had a customer schedule 25 classes - no show to 4 - and cancel 21 at a variety of points over the course of one month. We asked her to please consider our instructors' time and income as she booked classes with no intent to show up and asked her to refrain from doing so. We explained it was very impactful to our young teachers to plot income and plan bookings and that 1 or 2 was understandable but 21 was extreme. She decided to 1 star 🙂

Honestly....I don't really think about online reviews at all. I agree with the above statement - we respond when the comments go up, relish the 5 star reviews - and understand that satisfied customers leave here everyday - many of them giving feedback via email or Square and they don't like to review on platforms. There is a certain type of person who wants to spend time reviewing on Yelp and while a 1 star review sucks I try to keep it all in perspective and realize that we aren't big enough to participate in the kind of capitalism that gives people free experiences for reviews either...

[Pesso]

Oh dang, that's so frustrating, @MudFire_Dex -- especially when they're clearly in the wrong and doing something absurd, and you pay the price twice. 

I love that attitude and think that's absolutely the best way to do it. Enjoy the good, address what you can with the bad, and leave the rest for what it is.

Thanks for sharing!

[DinaLRosenberg]

thankfully our complaints come off stage. If there is a problem we handle it right away. We try to never make excuses, thank our customers for their feedback and do whatever we can to make it right.

[Pesso]

That's so great, @DinaLRosenberg ! It's huge and comforting when customers come to you first to resolve issues rather than just posting it publicly, and it's so wonderful that you prioritize them and do what you can to help them!

[JAP21]

Most of our complaints come in offstage (email), which gives us the opportunity to resolve them - and we have definitely turned some haters into people who write the most positive and wonderful testimonials. It's really inspiring when that happens!

We also realize that our product will not be everyone's choice in our industry and sometimes it is better to refer that toxic customer (going back to our prior book) to a competitor. And, we've found that as long as that referral is legitimate - we think this brand might work better for you because X - we are respected for doing that.

It's more disappointing when someone DOESN'T reach out and give you the chance to solve their problem - many times, it is simple - wrong fitting, not the best model for the skill level, etc. I think this is similar to people with problems at a restaurant that post a bade review without giving the restaurant a chance to resolve the problem on the spot.

[Pesso]

Thanks for sharing, @JAP21 --

That's so great to hear that you've been able to take some of the folks who complain privately and turn them into big fans! That's a huge show of your customer service skills, and definitely something to be proud of. And very cool that you have had successes with shifting not-great customers to others. 

It definitely can be frustrating when they don't give you the opportunity to fix it -- have you tried reaching out to them afterwards to offer a solution? 

[Doran]

Usually, offstage for me.  And, I respond quickly but with thought.  Even if it feels like they are just complaining or wanting a freebie I try and meet the person with grace and let them feel seen and special.  It is a fine line but I just don't want to say anything that would push them onstage.  

Two became great long-time clients and one I just kinda of blocked out.  I couldn't seem to please her even with free treatments.

[Pesso]

I love it, @Doran !

So great that you treat them all with respect and care, acknowledging and listening. And that's huge that you were able to convert two of them into big fans! Way to rock-