What problems are foreseeable with your products and services?

Let's spend some time thinking about what can go wrong and how you can mitigate the damage.  For example, if your product was meant to stop a plumbing leak, a failure would leave water to clean up.   Perhaps you would give away a set of super-absorbent ShamWow towels whenever you had to replace one of your failed products, or maybe you would keep a shop vac handy and dispatch an employee to clean up after one of your pipes burst.

Let’s say you sell quilts.  One of the low-end quilts you sell to a customer literally comes apart at the seams the first time he washes it.  A conventional retailer would likely refund the customer’s money, losing the opportunity to create a satisfied customer in spite of a product failure.  You, however, know the value of providing more than a money-back guarantee.  To keep this customer happy, you might give him a higher quality quilt at the same cost as the cheap one he originally bought. 

When the customer comes into the store with his torn up quilt and starts lambasting you for the poor quality products you are selling, you might ask what the customer would like you to do.  Remember that tone of voice is extremely important here, as is word choice.  Rather than asking, “What do you want me to do about it?” you might ask “How can I make this up to you?” or “What would you like me to do about it?”  You might also offer options immediately after you ask the question so the customer knows you are sincerely trying to help. 

You can turn the product failure into a customer service win if you can convince the customer you are on his side.  The conversation might go something like this.

Customer:  “I bought this quilt here about two months ago.  I just stuck it in the washer for the first time, and it fell apart.”

Retailer:  “Wow!  Thanks so much for bringing this in so I could see it.  This is a manufacturer we just started doing business with, and I didn’t know there were problems.  I need to make this up to you, and I’m so sorry it happened.  Can I offer you one of our high quality quilts from another manufacturer?  Or would you rather have your money back?”

This approach tells the customer you value his business, gives him an opportunity to tell you how you can best help him, and gives you the opportunity to make him a customer for life by providing something that’s better than a money-back guarantee:  a solution to his problem.