We all have unhappy customers occasionally. TV Stations are no exception. Viewers complain, advertisers complain and employees complain. Yes, viewers, advertisers and employees are all customers. Therefore, from the General Manager on through the organization, we all need to be aware of how we handle unhappy customers.

Here are 6 rules easy to write but not always easy to live!

1.       Listen, pay attention and don’t interrupt. Complainers need time. Give it to them.

2.       Apologize even if the customer is off base. “I’m sorry you feel this way. Let’s see what we can do together to make this better for you.”

3.       Ask questions to get to the root of the problem and try to remove the emotion. Refer back to #1.

4.       Put yourself in their shoes. How would you react if this situation happened to you? What would you need to feel whole again?

5.       Treat every complainer as if they were your most important viewer, advertiser, employee, etc. They may not be your favorite but at that moment you need to treat them as if they are.

6.       Laugh – when appropriate! The goal is to not only resolve the issue but deepen the relationship. Nothing does that better than a smile or a laugh.

What other rules do you find helpful at your television station?

(a special thanks to Hal DeKeyser – met him on twitter and he offered me some great writing advice. Very “social” guy and much appreciated by this amateur writer!)