Six Steps To Service Recovery
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You will learn:
To demonstrate understanding of the Six Steps to Service
Recovery.
To gain insight into how to correct problems while taking proactive
steps to help manage the customer’s feelings through the use of
The Six Steps to Service Recovery.
To apply the correct techniques to assure future business despite
the problem that occurred.
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Take the
Before-andAfter Skills
Inventory
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View Program
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What is Service Recovery and
Why do we need it?
What is the difference between an
irate caller and the need for service
recovery?
What is service recovery?
Why do we need service recovery?
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Step #1: Respond Rapidly
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Discuss
When is the right time for service
recovery?
How many calls from a customer should
it take to correct a problem?
How is a cement mixer similar to
providing good service?
How is a customer complaint similar to
liquid cement?
What was the point of the quote from Sir
William Gladstone: “Justice delayed is
justice denied.”
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Telephone Doctor® Prescription
Respond rapidly. As soon as it’s reported. Instantaneously, if
possible.
Delay irritates a customer even more. Delay amplifies anger.
An upset customer is easier to work with if you smooth the
problem over right away.
Any delay and the customer’s sense of importance is
affected negatively.
Customers want justice and they want it NOW.
Management needs to know about repetitive problems to
solve the problem and ultimately, save time and money.
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Step #2: Take Ownership
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Discuss
From a customer’s perspective, how many calls should it take to correct
a problem?
What is possible if you respond rapidly and with sincerity?
What is likely to happen if the customer doesn’t feel you’re being
sincere?
When should you tell
a customer “we
value your business
and want you to
continue to be our
customer”?
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Telephone Doctor® Prescription
The ideal situation is for only one person to handle any
questionable situation.
The more often a customer tells the story, the angrier
he/she will get, often vowing to take future business
elsewhere.
Immediate and sincere response often encourages
future business.
End your service recovery by reminding your customer:
“we value your business and want you to continue to be
our customer”.
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Step #3: Apologize Sincerely
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Discuss
What is a critical step to service
recovery?
What’s wrong with the phrase:
“Sorry ‘bout that”?
How does an apology need to be
delivered?
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Telephone Doctor® Prescription
A critical step to service recovery is a sincere apology.
“Sorry ‘bout that” is perceived as an insincere apology
and should be avoided.
Apologies must be sincere and with understanding of
how the problem affected the customer.
You may have to apologize several times a day, but it’s
always the first time your customer has heard it.
The slightest bit of insincerity or boredom and service
recovery goes down the drain.
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Step #4: Solve the Problem
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Discuss
What does not solve the
problem for the customer?
How does the customer
perceive you solving the
problem?
What was the difference between the way Paige first handled the
problem and the second way?
What do customers expect?
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Telephone Doctor® Prescription
Customers are not interested in your correcting them
with company jargon.
When solving a problem, customers are interested in
their schedules, not the company’s.
Substituting one problem for another is not service
recovery.
Customers want to see you as confident and
empowered to solve the problem.
Customers will perceive you as solving the problem by
going the extra mile and double-checking all options.
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Step #5: Manage the Feelings
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Discuss
What is the heart of service
recovery?
What needs to be done after
solving the problem?
What DON’T you want to do to
a customer?
What should you DO?
Why give something extra?
Isn’t what you say enough?
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Telephone Doctor® Prescription
Managing the feelings of the customer is the heart of
service recovery.
After solving the problem, you need to work on the
feelings involved.
Don’t tell a customer you know exactly how they feel.
The customer is looking for something extra for their
time and inconvenience.
The something extra doesn’t need to be expensive, but it
does need to be something the customer values.
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Step #6: Verify Satisfaction
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Discuss
At the end of a service recovery,
how do you know if you’ve really
solved the problem?
If the answer is not complete
satisfaction, what should you do?
What does it usually take to
find complete satisfaction?
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Telephone Doctor® Prescription
To know if you’ve really solved the problem, ask the
customer.
Use some sort of scale for your customer to gauge
where your service recovery is.
Probe to determine what needs to be done to achieve
maximum satisfaction.
It is often a small, overlooked detail that stops the
customer from being completely satisfied. Ask and you’ll
find out.
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The WISH Statement:
What to do when they ask for the
“moon”.
Why is the WISH statement
used?
A sample WISH statement is:
“I WISH we could give you a ________.
That would be great. Unfortunately, it’s
not an option we have. What we can do
is ____.”
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Telephone Doctor® Prescription
Learn the WISH statement and use it whenever it’s
needed.
Caution: Beware of overusing it.
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Take the Before-and-After
Skills Inventory Again.
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ANSWERS
01. F
02. C
03. T
04. B
05. F
06. D
07. T
08. C
09. F
10. A
11. F
12. D
13. F
14. A
15. T
A CALL TO ACTION!
Memorize the following steps.
Keep them in mind every time
you use the telephone.
Practice!
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SUMMARY OF SIX STEPS TO
SERVICE RECOVERY
Respond Rapidly.
Take Ownership.
Apologize Sincerely.
Solve the Problem.
Manage the Feelings.
Verify Satisfaction.
© Telephone Doctor, Inc. | www.telephonedoctor.com
Six Steps To Service Recovery
© Telephone Doctor, Inc. | www.telephonedoctor.com