This Is How You Can Face Service Failures The Disney Way
The Disney Institute has been known to provide time-tested techniques on how to achieve customer service excellence and I’d like to share something I learned from them.
I mentioned in my last entry how I love looking for service failures and talked about how these service failures can turn someone from a disgruntled customer to a raving fan.
Disney accepts service failures (135M customers/year) even if they’re not at fault and this is something that any business should try and emulate.
Even if these service failures are not your fault, they’re definitely your problem and whenever a failure is present, customers tend to be more sensitive to how their concerns are handled. This exact reason is why it’s always easier to handle the person first before diving into the issue.
Disney follows a 5 step process to handle service failures, they call this the H.E.A.R.D technique.
These steps are proven to ensure consistent service recovery every time. Disney stands by this technique and so should you.
Hear
Whether it’d be through chat or a live call, you should let your customers finish, uninterrupted. Let them vent out their frustration first. After all, these people are just like us and they want someone to listen to them.
You are the best person to hear this because you have the capability to make it right by them.
Empathize
Show how genuinely you care about the customer’s issue by validating them. Use phrases like “I understand how this must feel” or “I’d feel the same way too”.
Saying empathy phrases like these shows how you understand their problem. It also creates a greater sense of trust.
Apologize
Own the problem and be responsible by apologizing. An apology might be the only thing they need to hear.
You can never make it right no matter how many times you apologize, but this step is as crucial as the resolution itself.
A simple and sincere apology goes a long way.
Resolve
Do it and do it right! Make sure that employees are empowered to make vital decisions in cases of failures.
Asking the manager for approval often takes time. Resolve the issue immediately if you can.
Use phrases like “How can we make this right for you?” or “I’d be happy to resolve this for you right now.”
Diagnose
This is the most important part of the whole process. Making sure that the same issue won’t happen again.
“Seek perfection, and settle for excellence — Disney Institute”
Make sure that you analyze the issue and figure out why the failure occurred. Avoid blaming anyone for the problem and ensure that it won’t happen again.
If this post resonated with you, please hit that share button. You could be helping someone by sharing this. ✌
