Turning an Unhappy Customer into an Advocate
The Business Case for Customer Recovery
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By Thomas M. Feeney, Safelite AutoGlass President & CEO
“Customers don’t expect you to be perfect.
They do expect you to fix things when they go wrong.”
– Donald Porter, V.P. British Airways
Poor customer service may be a company’s worst nightmare. Unhappy customers are likely to
tell just about everyone they know when they’ve had a bad experience. Those complaints may
forever tarnish a company’s brand. This is truer than ever thanks to the ease of publicly sharing
complaints through the Internet and social media.
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According to the 2010 American Express Global Customer Service Barometer :
• 81 percent of Americans have decided to never do business with a company again
because of poor customer service
• 52 percent of consumers expect something in return after a poor customer service
experience, beyond resolving the problem
• 70 percent want an apology or some form of reimbursement
A negative service experience doesn’t only affect that customer, but potential referrals. In the
same study:
• 48 percent of consumers report always or often using an online posting or blog to get
others' opinions about a company's customer service reputation
• 57 percent are looking for warnings saying they put greater credence in negative
reviews on blogs and social networking sites than on positive ones
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At Safelite AutoGlass , the national leader in vehicle glass repair and replacement serving more
than 4 million customers annually, we created a department specifically to address this portion of
customers – the Executive Services team, which won the American Business “Stevie” 2010
Customer Service Department of the Year Award. In just one year, the company has been able to
resolve the majority of service issues, making a strong case for such a team.
Recognizing the Problem
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To track customer satisfaction, Safelite uses the popular Net Promoter Score (NPS) method.
Developed by Bain & Co., NPS answers the ultimate question: How likely is it that you would
recommend this company to a friend or colleague? Subtract your percentage of detractors (those
that have a negative opinion) from your percentage of promoters (those that love you) and you
get your NPS.
In 2008, analysis of the NPS survey uncovered valuable data impacting the company’s
reputation. As can be expected, customers who had encountered a service issue after a repair or
replacement rated the company very low in the NPS survey.
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http://about.americanexpress.com/news/pr/2010/barometer.aspx
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In response, Safelite undertook a large study to address how to better meet the needs of this
important customer group. The company reviewed existing research on customer satisfaction,
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conducted informal interviews about perceptions of Safelite service and reviewed world-class
service companies to learn about their best practices.
As a result, the company reconfigured its existing customer service team, turning it into the
Executive Services Department.
The new and improved Executive Services Department doesn’t wait for customers to call them to
complain. Rather, they proactively seek to correct potential service issues by flagging customers
who gave the company a high Net Promoter Score but added a negative comment or those who
mentioned a service issue in the survey.
Step #1: Identify the Right Personnel
Not every personality is a good fit for the job of a customer advocate handling service issues.
There must be a strong level of emotional intelligence to empathize with the customer. Therefore,
we looked closely at the capabilities of our existing team and moved them around as needed.
What was left was an elite team of customer service veterans with an average of four years of
service. They are promoted from the ranks of other customer service departments after showing
an aptitude for consistently delighting customers with more challenging service issues.
Step #2: Empower Employees
The Executive Services team members undergo specialized training that involves learning about
various vehicle damage scenarios, company culture of insurance partners, and advanced conflictresolution strategies. These customer advocates are also given greater decision-making authority
in order to fully own and resolve a customer issue.
Here’s an example: After a windshield has been replaced, the customer calls and reports their
paint has been scratched. Instead of interrogating the customer to prove the damage may have
been there before the replacement, the Executive Services team member automatically provides
the customer with a solution: reimbursing paint work in this scenario. The representative does not
have to seek approval from the manager.
This ensures a timely resolution that demonstrates the company’s commitment to the best in
service. It also shows that the company is listening to its customers, a trait that will encourage the
customer to give the company a second chance.
Step #3: Measure Progress
Importantly, it doesn’t end there. Upon the resolution of a service issue, customers are
automatically sent a new NPS survey to evaluate their experience with this team. These scores
are evaluated on a monthly basis as the team works to ensure these once dissatisfied customers
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become delighted promoters of the Safelite brand.
Because of this commitment to provide unsurpassed levels of service to this group of customers,
the Executive Services department drove its NPS scores up by 28 percentage points in one year
– an increase in customer satisfaction resulting in a value of over $11 million to the company.
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Make It Work For You
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The Safelite AutoGlass Executive Services team illustrates some valuable business processes
anyone can deploy:
Develop a way to monitor customer satisfaction so as to recognize when there are
issues
Create a highly specialized team trained to respond to unhappy customers
Hire and train this team to advocate on behalf of the customer
Empower them to make executive decisions to resolve issues
Circle back to the customer to ensure the issue was resolved properly
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The Executive Services Department demonstrates the lengths to which Safelite will go to ensure
customer satisfaction. The company strives to exceed customers’ expectations, build long-lasting
relationships and delight those they serve every time.
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About Safelite AutoGlass®
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Safelite AutoGlass , founded in 1947, is the nation’s leading provider of vehicle glass repair
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and replacement services. In addition to nearly 400 stores, Safelite provides mobile service
to more than 95 percent of the U.S. population in all 50 states. The retail vehicle glass division
specializes in replacing all types of vehicle glass damage in all types of vehicles. In addition to
replacement services, the company operates a team of repair specialists that are dedicated to
delivering the highest-quality windshield repairs in the industry.
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In addition, Safelite provides property and casualty claims management services to more
than 100 insurance and fleet clients, including 17 of the top 25 U.S. property and casualty
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insurance companies. A Safelite operates three national contact centers and manages a
network of more than 8,700 claim fulfillment providers.
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Safelite is also the nation’s largest exclusively domestic producer of windshields for the
vehicle glass replacement market.
The Columbus, Ohio-based company employs nearly 10,000 people across the United States
and served more than 4. 4 million customers last year. For more information, visit
Safelite.com.
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