With staff shortages and supply-chain interruptions, every industry is marred by mounting delays: car dealerships, book publishers, healthcare, retail, restaurants, and more. We’ve all experienced it one way or another, from empty shelves at our grocers to longer waits at understaffed restaurants. Economically speaking, long-term staff shortages and supply-chain issues constitute scarcity, which further drives up inflation. (Among several other contributing factors!) And with fewer employees, many businesses are curtailing the level of customer service they deliver.
Delays, higher prices, and declining customer service. It’s no wonder that many customers are frustrated!
A Salve for Our Sorrows
Sadly, there is no magic wand that we can waive to make these problems go away. Not even large amounts of money will do. Even a behemoth company like Apple, Inc. was forced to hold back the Plus model of its most recent iPhone launch.
However, the lack of a cure-all doesn’t mean we’re helpless, forced to stand idly by as customer frustration boils over and our companies’ reputations are mangled. The squeeze of economic pressure is already depressing profits: we don’t need the added complication of customers losing faith. That will only breed long-term decline.
The key to this situation is actually found in an aspect of customer psychology that we’ve discussed in a previous blog entry titled “Understanding Tough Customers”:
“One of the key steps that we recommend in the customer experience is to understand what a customer wants, or at least where they are coming from. At the end of the day, tough customers—whether they’re angry or simply demanding—have the innate human desire to be understood, to be empathized with. That means listening without interrupting, making sure that even if you don’t agree with them, you at least get where they’re coming from. Just being heard is often cathartic enough to defuse most frustration.”
The main point here is that customers—all customers—want to be treated with respect. If delays are unavoidable, this should be communicated as soon as possible. If a restaurant has a slow kitchen due to understaffing, the server should disclose this fact to diners, especially during a rushed lunch hour. Sure, there’s a risk your guests will then opt to go someplace else that day, but the alternative is to frustrate them with a long, unexplained wait. This might even make them late to their next appointment. —That’s the kind of betrayal of trust that loses a customer forever.
So, what are some ways you can communicate with your customers? When delays or price increases happen, do you have a plan to be transparent with your customers?
Take Control
Shep Hyken’s recent article, titled “This Is How to Communicate with Customers,” lends us some insight on how we can mitigate customer frustration through communication. He relates to us that many people cite Amazon as one of their favorite companies to do business with because they’re so good at communication: “When a customer places an order, he or she is immediately notified by email. Another email is sent once the order ships with tracking information. And another is sent to inform the customer the package has arrived.” To that, we can also add that if there is a problem (such as a delay), Amazon will also email the customer explaining the situation—usually offering the option of continuing to wait or canceling the order.
You don’t have to operate an online warehouse to take a lesson here. In our example of the restaurant facing staffing challenges, servers can do the same thing with diners: acknowledge the wait time before they order, check back to see if they need anything during their wait, inform them of a time estimate once they know their dishes will be ready soon, and then thank them for waiting once the meals are ready. This is about taking ownership of the situation. This is how you let customers know you value their business and respect them.
Think about your own company. What are some ways for you to keep customers apprised of their order statuses? How do you make sure they’re not left to wonder what you’re doing for them behind the scenes?
Let Us Help
A critical component of taking ownership is acknowledging you can’t do everything on your own. That’s where The Brandt Group comes in: let us help you with our industry-leading customer-experience tools, including mystery shopping, feedback surveys, and leadership training. As you institute new strategies to combat the pressures of short-staffing and supply-chain interruptions, and as you take the initiative to preserve your business’s commitment to a superior customer service, we’re the partner you need to make your vision into a reality.
Let’s start communicating today, so your staff can be ready to communicate with customers tomorrow!
