I swore by my old way of handling customer complaints until a Tuesday in Boise.

A guy called, furious about a wasp nest we missed, and I started my usual defensive script. He cut me off and said, 'I don't need excuses, I just need you to listen and fix it.' That one sentence flipped a switch. Has anyone else had a client phrase something that just instantly changed your approach?

3 comments

3 Comments

rivera.hannah13d ago

That line "I don't need excuses, I just need you to listen and fix it" is dead on. I read a blog post from a plumber who said his whole business changed when a customer told him, "Stop selling me the hours and just solve the problem." He said he used to lead with his process and price. Now he just asks "What's wrong?" and then tells them he'll handle it. His callbacks dropped and his reviews got way better. It's all about skipping to the fix.

craig.piper13d ago

Hold up, that only works if the problem is simple. Some fixes are crazy expensive, and people need to understand why upfront. If you just say "I'll handle it" and then hand them a huge bill, they feel tricked. Transparency about the process and cost builds way more trust in the long run.

kevin_williams13d ago

Right?! But @craig.piper has a point about big jobs.