Angry Customers Are A Good Sign - Here's Why!
Are your customers mad at you?
Congratulations!!!!!!
You have built something that:
people want
is relevant to their daily life
costs money
can’t be easily replaced
It’s the first step to product market fit!
Beware of “Quiet Quitting”
“Quiet quitting” is the most dangerous activity possible to a company.
I’m not talking about employees (though that’s not good either).
I’m talking about customers who leave without telling you.
Customers “quiet quitting” means:
They don’t care enough to be mad.
They’re not financially invested enough to try to “get their money’s worth.”
They don’t have enough loyalty to you or your brand to give feedback.
Why would this happen?
Maybe it’s not a mission-critical service you provide.
Maybe there’s a cheaper, better option that’s easy to switch to.
Maybe they don’t have enough skin in the game (aka you’re significantly under charging or — GASP—giving away your product for free. 😲)
Stress, Celebrate, Resolve
When you have your first upset customer, follow these 3 steps:
1. Totally stress out. It’s a normal, visceral reaction. If you care, you will immediately have some level of “OMG” panic even if it’s a split second.
2. Remind yourself it’s a good thing. Then you’ll think about this post and realize it’s a CELEBRATORY EVENT!
Someone really cares about this product and the problem we’re trying to solve!
3. Respond to the customer ASAP. You may or may not be able to fix it but a quick response and willingness to listen will make a huge impact.
Training Resource
For a quick overview of what to do when customers are upset, here’s a Customer Service 101 Training Deck (customizable to your company) from our Customer Success Starter Pack.
A Future Champion
Your upset customer, assuming they’re a reasonable human with a valid complaint, is a terrific prospect for a future advocate and source of referrals!
How To Make A Customer Love You:
1. Respond quickly.
2. Listen deeply.
3. Give updates about your plan of action.
4. Solve the issue or incorporate the feedback.
5. Make an advocate for life!
You’d be surprised how rarely companies follow those simple steps and what an impact it can have on customer loyalty.
So when you have your first angry customer, not only is a moment of celebration, it’s also a great time to practice your turn-them-into-a-future-champion workflow!
What have you learned from angry customers? Did you have any counter-intuitive signs of success or progress?
Exactly! Indifference is much much worse. Well said!