We were in the doctor's office today and overheard an elderly woman complaining about a new deli that she had recently gone to. She was predicting that it would "go down the tubes" and soon. She was telling this to anyone and everyone who would listen. The reason.....the potato salad. Apparently she purchased some potato salad and according to this woman, the potatoes were raw. When she brought this to the attention of the staff at the deli, they were unimpressed and did nothing. Her response during her story-telling was...."and that's bad business."
Whether the potatoes were raw or not is really not the question here. The point is that the customer thought they were raw and perceived that the business made no attempt to correct her problem. There was apparently no offer to replace it with different potato salad or anything else that was comparable. This is a critical error on the part of the deli because this woman is telling and retelling her story of dissatisfaction everywhere. I can assure you, if she had actually mentioned the name of the deli that we would be less likely to try it out. All of this negative press can destroy a business as quickly as positive word-of-mouth can build a business.
It is essential for a business to not only empower, but expect, all associates to make customers happy. This includes replacing products that are not satisfactory or offering some sort of compensation for their dissatisfaction. Failing to do this, businesses will suffer from "bad press" such as the type offered by this woman in a crowded waiting room.
Whether the potatoes were raw or not is really not the question here. The point is that the customer thought they were raw and perceived that the business made no attempt to correct her problem. There was apparently no offer to replace it with different potato salad or anything else that was comparable. This is a critical error on the part of the deli because this woman is telling and retelling her story of dissatisfaction everywhere. I can assure you, if she had actually mentioned the name of the deli that we would be less likely to try it out. All of this negative press can destroy a business as quickly as positive word-of-mouth can build a business.
It is essential for a business to not only empower, but expect, all associates to make customers happy. This includes replacing products that are not satisfactory or offering some sort of compensation for their dissatisfaction. Failing to do this, businesses will suffer from "bad press" such as the type offered by this woman in a crowded waiting room.
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