In relationships that you have with important people in your life, if you routinely ignore complaints and devalue feedback, most therapists would label your behavior as dysfunctional—abnormal or impaired functioning. And they would prescribe interventions intended to influence behavior positively and reinforce healthy relationships.
If this type of neglectful behavior is seen as dysfunctional and damaging to our personal relationships, how might similar behavior apply to customer relationships?
Customers feel ignored: According to the infographic below, “Despite the fact that over half of consumers who receive a response react positively to the company in question, 79% of consumers who complained never got a response.”
Ignored customers walk: And although “current customers are 8x more likely to make purchases than new customers” after a negative customer experience such as having a complaint ignored or feedback devalued, “89% of consumers will stop doing business with a company.”
There is a cost: Not only is this aberrant behavior toxic to relationships, it’s bad for business. As indicated below, “It costs up to 7x more to attract new customers than to keep current ones” who defected because they were treated indifferently, with unconcern, as though they and their opinions didn’t matter.
Whether at home or work, if you receive a complaint or feedback from others, don’t ignore it. Doing so is dysfunctional, will damage the relationship, and lead to great wailing and gnashing of teeth.
As the renowned therapist, Bob Newhart, would advise, “Stop it!”
