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Steps to Excellent Customer Service/ Troubleshooting

The four-part customer service standard staff work to, plus the steps for defusing an unhappy client.

Purpose

Every client who walks through our doors is looking for something specific. Your job, in a nutshell, is noticing what that is before they have to spell it out for you. This SOP covers the four-part standard we hold ourselves to, what excellent service looks like day to day, and the steps for working with a client who's unhappy about something.

At a Glance

  • Anticipate the client's needs, fulfill them, manage expectations, then go beyond what they expected.
  • Excellent service means the client believes their dog is having as good a time as they are.
  • When a client is upset, listen first. Don't interrupt or try to explain the problem away.
  • Repeat their concern back to them and offer to help.
  • Solve it if you can. If you can't, say so honestly, then bring in a manager.
  • Thank the client again once the issue is resolved.

The Four-Part Standard

Take a client dropping off a dog for lodging as the example.

  1. Anticipate their needs. A lodging client needs to bring their dog in, complete paperwork, and check in belongings, whether they say so out loud or not.
  2. Fulfill their needs. Confirm the reservation and contact information, log belongings accurately, confirm food and medication instructions, and take the dog to the lodging area.
  3. Manage expectations. Let the client know what to expect from the stay and from us, so nothing comes as a surprise later.
  4. Go beyond their expectations. Introduce yourself and the Animal Care Technician who'll begin caring for the dog, help with the door if they seem to need it, let them say goodbye before the dog goes back into the facility, and start building rapport with the dog in front of them. Every one of those small moments tells the client one thing: that you actually care.

What Excellent Service Looks Like

Service means the client's dog is happy. The client should be thinking, "My dog is having as good a time or better than I am," the whole time they're at our facility. Having everything a client needs is good; it only becomes excellent when the way those services are provided and priced exceeds what they expected. That takes exceptional service, products, and professionals, plus a culture where everyone is thinking ahead about what might matter to a particular guest. Sometimes it's a reassuring phone call. Sometimes it's an unexpected gift at checkout. Either way, it comes from paying attention to what a client needs and acting on it. If you ever spot a way to improve the guest experience, that feedback is always welcome.

Troubleshooting an Unhappy Client

Working in service means, sooner or later, you'll meet someone who's unhappy, demanding, or abrasive. It comes with the territory, so don't take it personally. Here's the playbook.

  1. Listen. Don't interrupt and don't try to explain the problem away. Most clients who complain just want to vent and be heard. Understand the root of the issue before you respond, and remember: this usually isn't personal, so keep your own response professional either way.
  2. Acknowledge and offer to help. Repeat the concern back to the client so they know you understood it, then offer to help solve it.
  3. Resolve it, or hand it off. If you can solve the problem, do it. If you can't, say so honestly instead of stalling, then go find someone who can.
  4. Thank them again. Once the issue is resolved, thank the client again for coming to the facility.
  5. Loop in a manager. Don't hesitate to bring in your manager for a difficult client. Asking for help here is good judgment, not a failure.

Edge Cases

What's the quickest way to calm an upset client down?

Stop talking and listen. Let them get the full complaint out without interrupting, repeat it back so they know you heard it correctly, and offer to help. Listen, repeat, offer: that sequence settles more situations faster than jumping straight to a solution before the client feels heard.

What if I genuinely cannot solve the client's problem?

Say so honestly instead of stalling, then bring in your manager or whoever on the team can fix it. Don't leave the client sitting with an unresolved issue while you try to figure it out alone.

Who to Ask

Bring any client issue you can't resolve yourself to a manager. For phone-specific tone and vocabulary, what to say and what to avoid, see The Voice.