the good news about bad news

The good news about bad news - dealing with complaints

Rubuss

Sometimes, everyone has to give customers bad news.

Here’s how not to do it. (with thanks to HP Sauce)...

People don’t like companies giving them bad news.

Why?

(Aside from the obvious)

Because people have more control and self-actualisation now than they’ve ever had...

In nearly all areas of their lives.

Often, the way organisations respond to complaints makes customers feel their control has been taken away.

A sense of losing control can make people behave irrationally.

That’s why people often have a big reaction to a little thing going wrong.

So organisations need to find a way to deliver bad news that gives customers control back and won’t upset them.

Let’s look at how HP Sauce handled a complaint...

You mess with it at your peril.

HP Sauce is a British institution.

“HP” stands for “Houses of Parliament”

HP changed the ingredients (and taste) of their sauce.

There was lots of fuss in the press.

So how did they reply to complaints?

“Thank you for contacting us with regard to HP Sauce.

The essential ingredients for HP, the nation’s number one brown sauce, include Tomatoes, Malt and Spirit Vinegars, Molasses, Spices and Tamarind, and these have not changed over the passage of time.

In line with changes in consumer tastes, we have long been committed to reducing added salt in recipes to meet voluntary targets with support from consumer health campaigners. This very minor change to our famous recipe was made in November last year, and rigorous consumer tests confirmed there was no significant difference in flavour between the old and new recipes. HP Sauce still tastes great!”

EXHIBIT 1

Doesn’t sound too bad, does it?

So why’d they keep getting so much flak?

Remember that stuff about being out of control and acting irrationally?

CORPSPEAK

THE PASSIVE PASS

IT WASN’T ME, SIR!

YOU’RE JUST WRONG

They made four mistakes in that reply...

“Thank you for contacting us with regard to HP Sauce.

The essential ingredients for HP, the nation’s number one brown sauce, include Tomatoes, Malt and Spirit Vinegars, Molasses, Spices and Tamarind, and these have not changed over the passage of time.

In line with changes in consumer tastes, we have long been committed to reducing added salt in recipes to meet voluntary targets with support from consumer health campaigners. This very minor change to our famous recipe was made in November last year, and rigorous consumer tests confirmed there was no significant difference in flavour between the old and new recipes. HP Sauce still tastes great!”

“CORPSPEAK” IN ACTION

“CORPSPEAK” IN ACTION

What is it? What customers think

✓ Sounding like a corporate robot, not a human being.

✓ Making your point - but ignoring the points the person complaining has made.

✓ Using tired, well-used phrases that people’s eyes just sliiiiide off.

✓ You sound remote, arrogant, uncaring - even when you’re not.

✓ It’s like sticking your fingers in your ears and singing ‘la la la, can’t hear you!’

“In line with changes in consumer tastes, we have long been committed to reducing added salt in recipes to meet voluntary targets with support from consumer health campaigners. This very minor change to our famous recipe was made in November last year, and rigorous consumer tests confirmed there was no significant difference in flavour between the old and new recipes. HP Sauce still tastes great!”

“IT WASN’T ME, SIR!” IN ACTION

“IT WASN’T ME, SIR!” IN ACTION

What is it? What customers think

✓ Attempting to shift the blame.

✓ “It wasn’t us - it was those nasty health campaigners/the government/the cat”.

✓ ...that you won’t take responsibility.

✓ ...that you care more about avoiding blame than fixing the problem.

✓ ...that you don’t care about them.

“This very minor change to our famous recipe was made in November last year...”

THE “PASSIVE PASS” IN ACTION

THE “PASSIVE PASS” IN ACTION

What is it? What customers think

✓ A cunning, less obvious blame-shift, using a neat grammatical trick “the passive voice”.

✓ Something just happens - but no-one takes responsibility: “The formula was changed... you will be charged... prices have been increased...”

✓ You’re being weaselly.

✓ They can’t trust you.

✓ That you’re dodging the issue.

“This very minor change to our famous recipe was made in November last year, and rigorous consumer tests confirmed there was no significant difference in flavour between the old and new recipes. HP Sauce still tastes great!”

“YOU’RE JUST WRONG” IN ACTION

“YOU’RE JUST WRONG” IN ACTION

What is it? What customers think

✓ Telling the customer by implication that they’re wrong.

✓ Or just contradicting them completely!

✓ You might as well just call them ‘stupid’ and be done with it.

✓ You don’t give a damn about their opinion.

✓ You’re more focused on you than on your customer.

So how could you do it?

GET OUTSIDE THE ORGANISATION

OPEN FAST AND CLEAR

DETAIL AND REASONS

GIVE OPTIONS

CLEAR CLOSE AND QUESTIONS

Like this...

GET OUTSIDE THE ORGANISATION

If you just do one thing - do this

Sound like a human - not a corporate drone.

How are they thinking and feeling?

What do they think about you at the moment?

What do they need to know and feel now?

Think from the customer’s point of view

Play it straight.

OPEN FAST AND CLEAR

Get to the point. Don’t fudge or waffle.

If it’s your mistake, put your hand up and admit it

- no passive passing.

It’s OK to say “we’re sorry” - it’s more human

than “we apologise.”

DETAIL AND REASONS

Explain the reasons for acting as you did - don’t

hide behind ‘policy’ - give real reasons

Tell people WHY you’ve done something - it makes you seem less high-handed

Use the active voice; “we did this...”

GIVE OPTIONS

What would your customer like you to do?

What options can you give that solve the problem?

Where you can, give control back to the customer.

CLEAR CLOSE AND QUESTIONS

Summarise what you’ve said.

Wrap up warmly and sincerely, focusing on

the customer.

Leave the door open for questions.

So what?

Businesses often wonder why customers don’t behave

rationally. It’s simple.People aren’t solely rational -

they’re rational AND emotional.

Deliver bad news and you get an emotional reaction - often out of all proportion to the news itself.

HOW you communicate that bad news determines the

reaction you get. It’s simple. Input = output.

Giving customers bad news is actually an opportunity to build relationship. It’s a chance for them to see your organisation as human, customer-centred

and authentic.

HOW you communicate is just as important as WHAT

you communicate.

Get it right, and you’ll deliver bad news without the bad taste. Sorry. We’ll put a cap on the sauce jokes now.

Your everyday, operational, communications are more

important than your advertising - because they are the

communications people have to understand, act on

and use day after day.

Most organisations view material like this as an

overhead. We think differently. We believe the right

operational communications are a powerful business

asset. And we can prove it.

We focus on transforming this material - and the

process and human systems that generate it - to

reduce cost, improve loyalty, smooth customer

interactions and boost renewals.

We support and enable you to deliver world class operational customer communications, transforming a cumbersome overhead into one of your most powerful assets.

Rubuss

Sound interesting? Get in touch.

01993 822524

contact@rubuss.com