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How to Fight with Customers When They Leave

August 20, 2008 By Joe Rawlinson

Do you fight your customers when they want to leave?

My wife and I recently decided to change our pest control service. We had seen a deterioration in the quality of customer service and the prevention of unwanted pests.

I called up Terminix to cancel our account and they offered a great case study in how not to treat departing customers:

Tell the Customer He’s a Liar

I told the woman that answered the phone that the technician wasn’t giving the great customer service we had with the smaller Safeguard company that used to service our home. Once Terminix bought them out, we started to see a slide in quality. The Terminix person informed me that we had “the same tech you had with Safeguard.”

So I’m wrong? Questioning a customer’s perception of reality will surely send you down a slippery slope.

The representative asked me several questions, trying half-heartedly to get me to stay. When I persisted, I got transfered to what must have been the corporate offices.

Don’t Assume Customer Loyalty

The corporate person tried to persuade me, once again to stay. “You’ve been with us for four years,” she stated.

Just because customers are with you for a long time doesn’t mean they will stay forever. You have to continually earn their business. Don’t take that for granted.

Push the Customer to the Point of Frustration

The Terminix rep asked, “What is your pest problem?” I said, “My pest problem today is that I want to cancel my pest control service.” I was getting frustrated and this seemed to end the conversation.

Happy Ending

Customers will remember their last interactions with you. Some customers won’t be yours forever. When the time comes to part ways, make it easy for your customers to leave.

If you were able to glean why a customer is leaving, take that information back and see if you can improve your product or service.

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