By Tue Søttrup, Chief CX Evangelist at Dixa 

Shopping behaviours are now in flux, with many consumers now considering online options for goods and services they may have previously sought out in physical storefronts. In response, businesses are increasing their emphasis on e-commerce to serve a wave of new customers. 

The question for many businesses undergoing digital transformation will be how best to leverage this behavioural shift and not only win custom, but importantly repeat business. Cultivating loyalty within your customer base is imperative when increasing customer retention by just 5% could lead to an increase in profits by 25% to 95%. 

But what happens when something goes wrong? Regular damaging experiences can be fatal, particularly for smaller retailers that rely on repeat custom, loyal customers, and word of mouth to grow. With consumers also becoming more vocal about their experiences interacting with and shopping with businesses online, cultivating loyalty can be hard-won, but easily lost.

Yet, I’m here to tell you that there is a silver lining. Enter the service recovery paradox. 

What is the service recovery paradox? 

In essence, customers who have a negative experience and receive great follow-up service to fix the problem as swiftly as possible, will become more loyal than customers who experienced a streamlined or standard experience. It might seem counter-intuitive at first, but there is clear logic at work.

A failure should be seen as a major opportunity for brands to create a memorable shopping experience, leaving a lasting impression on a customer in a way that a ‘normal’ experience could not. 

For example, you might experience a slight delivery delay with your favourite food delivery app, which immediately gets rectified with a personalised message containing a voucher for your next order.

The knock-on effect of putting the service recovery paradox into practice will likely provide three key results: 

1. Customer loyalty that just keeps on giving
2. Online reviews that build trust and boost sales
3. Increased advocacy and word of mouth

The paradox in action 

Now that we’ve established what the customer service paradox is, it’s important to look to real-world examples for an idea of how it can be implemented.

One brand which impresses with their customer experience is shoe retailer Zappos, who consistently make headlines for their great service. But, it’s important to remember that things can, and will go wrong for everyone at some point. 

When a customer called Jay ordered smart shoes for his best friend’s wedding, where he was the best man, the courier lost them in transit. Now, this wasn’t Zappos’ fault, but keeping the paradox in mind, they responded by sending him a new pair overnight whilst also refunding the money he had initially spent. 

As a customer, it’s hard to ignore that level of service, and these types of stories also have the added benefit of improving a brand’s image. News of Jay’s experience has spread, and in turn their customer retention will have improved.

Putting the paradox into practice 

One point that all brands must recognise is that this level of service begins with your agents and their ability to introduce empathy during customer interactions. Whenever a complaint is fielded, agents should acknowledge the customer’s feelings, and the error, before reaching out with a solution. 

When a customer reaches out with an issue, make sure that your agents are primed to engage in an understanding and empathetic manner—acknowledging the error and then providing a solution. For this to go off without a hitch, your agents need to be empowered to make refunds, offer discounts, and take as much time as they need with customers. 

For a truly successful resolution, the goal should not be to close the case as soon as possible, but rather to create a meaningful interaction with the customer and leave them feeling respected and heard. 

Use your data 

For brands looking to take things to the next level, you probably want to stop there. What if you could be more proactive with your customers? What if you could intercept the service failure before they even noticed it had happened? 

With the right technology, you can access data to intercept a failure before word reaches the customer, which allows you to reach out to a customer with both the issue and the solution at the same time. This ‘two punch’ approach eradicates any period of disappointment from the customer’s perspective and shows how much you value their commerce. 

Thinking about the service recovery paradox in this way really does matter, especially when more than 70% of consumers claim they will lose trust in a brand permanently if they believe it’s prioritizing profit over people. 

Use the paradox to get ahead 

All in all, one of the best ways to boost customer loyalty in the post-pandemic era is through the customer service recovery paradox. 

Your customers will almost always experience issues. It’s natural. But by solving an issue in a way that meets or exceeds expectations, you will create a more memorable experience, which in turn will drive loyalty. Look to real-world examples for inspiration and, once you’re ready to put it into practice, remember to empower your agents who are on the front lines. Once you’ve mastered that, look to your data to really level up the experience and capitalize on the opportunity to win over customers.