Navigating how to handle customer complaints is not fun or particularly easy, especially in the beginning of starting your press on nail business. It can be a challenge when trying to figure out how to respond to your customers’ various issues. I have a few scenarios and tips that may help you to provide great customer service assisting your customer as much as humanely possible.
Even if there is really nothing you can do you’ll still want to appear as helpful and empathetic as possible. Great customer service goes a looooonnng way.
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I/we may receive a commission, at no extra cost to you, if you make a purchase through a link. Please see our full disclosure for further information.
This post is about how to handle customer complaints.
Yes, it is inevitable that at some point in your business you will make mistakes… being human and all. Our goal though is to rectify the mistake and go out of our way to accommodate the customer. But no matter how great you conduct your business or how great your nails are there will always be a disgruntled customer pop up every now and again for some reason or another.
As you deal with complaints more you will get better at not taking them personally and just focusing on dealing with the situation so you both can move on. Keep in mind that there are many ways to respond to the scenarios below these are just what helped me and I was able to still get a good review. I used Etsy so my responses are geared more toward that platform.
SCENARIO 1
Say you have a customer that ordered a specific set of nails but once they receive the order, they message you to say that it’s not what they meant to order.
Tip: Have your thoughts in your mind of what you REALLY think about this situation but try your best not to show this in your message to the customer. In every situation think of how you would want someone to respond to you. Would you want them to be snappy and short with you or appear to be helpful and pleasant when speaking to you?
I would ask questions to get an idea of what they intended to purchase. Since I was mostly using Etsy’s platform I’m able to view the specific size and nail shape the customer purchased.
I would respond by saying something like, “ Hello such and such yes coffin and ballerina are quite different so it is easy to confuse the two. Since we do also carry ballerina if you’d like to place another order today we could help you by getting your order processed by such and such time. (This would be based on how many orders you currently have).
Basically, you will want to be accommodating and let the customer know that you will put them ahead of the line in order to get their order out as soon as possible.
This solution gives the impression you are trying to assist them and not just like “oh well shoulda ordered correctly” instead you are offering a solution that will help them to get their order processed a bit quicker than normal.
SCENARIO 2
Your customer says XYZ was wrong with one of the nails.
Tip: I take pics of every order for this very reason so I can remember how the order looked before going out. You could make a notepad for order pics and maybe delete them after some time.
I would apologize for the inconvenience and ask them to please provide a photo of the nail. Once they send you the photo and you can pretty much determine it was your fault then apologize again and offer to send out a replacement nail ASAP.
This solution shows you can accept that you have made a mistake and be apologetic as well as quick to rectify the situation.
SCENARIO 3
Your customer says they have placed an order but need it by such and such date.
Tip: Always make sure your processing time is visible in your description, FAQs, etc.
Thank the customer for their order then make sure to say something along these lines…” Please be aware that our processing time (found in the item description & FAQs) is within (such and such time) we make every effort to process your request as soon as possible within that time frame then we send your package to USPS for delivery. Please be aware that USPS quotes their delivery time to be within (such and such days). Unfortunately, this means you may not receive your package within your specified timeframe.
If you have not started their order ask them if they would like to cancel the order. This puts the ball back in their court so to speak. They now have to decide whether they will continue with the order knowing that it will probably not get to them in time.
If you offer upgraded shipping, here is where you can mention that but make them aware that the processing time remains the same.
In this solution, since it’s more of an issue than a complaint, you’re basically educating the customer more so than anything. You are also letting the customer know that the processing time information was available and where to find it. You helped them to understand that the shipping time is separate from the processing time and you offered them the option to cancel the order.
Etsy Tip: If you use Etsy and a customer leaves you a bad review based on shipping in most cases you can have Etsy remove it.
Remember you are only human and will make mistakes from time to time and also you can’t make everyone happy all the time. Don’t let things like this discourage you. Your goal is to do the BEST YOU CAN, doing so with empathy and professionalism…that’s it.
I hope this helps in understanding how to deal with customer complaints. Leave a comment if you have some interesting customer issues/complaints that may be helpful and also let us know how you responded to them….I’d love to know.
This post is about how to handle customer complaints.
Related Posts
You may also find the following posts helpful.
How To Start A Press On Nail Business
Press On Nail Business FAQ Suggestions
How To Make Custom Press On Nails In 7 Steps
20 Press On Nail Supplies Every Press On Nail Owner Should Have
