Have An Ungrateful Customer? Here's What To Do
Every now and then you might encounter customers who just don’t seem to appreciate what you’ve done for them. You jump through hoops to get a project finished. You give them special pricing. You acquiesce to their every demand. You go the extra mile and there is no recognition for your effort. Sometimes, even after you’ve gone way above and beyond, they even have the audacity to complain. What do you do?
Do you scold them, and tell them they should be more grateful? That’s never a good strategy. Do you “fire” them, as the philosophy being hyped a couple of years ago would suggest? Dangerous. Do you just accept that ‘the customer is always right’ and ignore it? Well, sort of.
The customer's not always right, but...
Is the customer always right? Of course not. But there’s just no getting around the fact that customers have choices – lots of them these days. And if we’re not prepared to deal with their needs, there’s someone out there who will. Are there some worth getting rid of? Maybe. But it would be the very unprofitable customers that are expendable – not the ungrateful ones.
If you are getting customers who don’t appear to appreciate your efforts, it may be time to step back and examine why. Here are the three most common reasons:
Three reasons your customers become ungrateful
The value you offer has decreased
Sometimes it’s because they feel they aren’t getting good value. A comparison check of your competition or similar organizations might be in order.
Customers don't understand what you do
Sometimes customers simply just don’t realize the extent of the work you’re really doing. It’s like a black box: they ask for something, and you deliver it. They have no clue as to what goes on in between. In this case, it can help if you gradually and gently educate them as to some of your internal processes. Another strategy is to begin charging nominal fees for extras. This way, even if you waive the fees when billing time comes, the customer is more aware of the value they’ve received.
Customers believe you don't care
The most common reason for customers to appear ungrateful, however, is because their trust in you has begun to deteriorate.
There is a growing mountain of research that links customer trust with customer loyalty – and identifies the key drivers of trust as being Caring, Competency and Integrity. Your interactions with them may be sending the message that you don’t care. They may be having experiences that cause them to question your competency. They may be getting the impression that you aren’t living up to expectations, taking actions that are not in their best interests or not taking ownership over problems.
The reality of customer service – whether it is with external or internal customers, is that customers will stop appreciating us when they feel we have stopped appreciating them. The only way to effectively address this is by improving your overall CX, and enhancing your skills for customer service.
