{"id":32524,"date":"2022-03-16T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-03-16T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hyken.com\/back-to-class-sheps-law-of-customer-service\/"},"modified":"2024-02-02T23:15:14","modified_gmt":"2024-02-02T23:15:14","slug":"sheps-law-of-customer-service","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hyken.com\/customer-service-strategies\/sheps-law-of-customer-service\/","title":{"rendered":"Back to Class: Shep\u2019s Law of Customer Service"},"content":{"rendered":"\"JudgeLet\u2019s go back to physics class for just a moment. Isaac Newton\u2019s third law of motion states, \u201cFor every action in nature, there is an equal and opposite reaction.\u201d I admit to struggling in physics, but this was one principle I understood. The other day, a friend quoted Newton\u2019s third law, and it hit me. Not only does this happen in physics, but it also happens in business, specifically when there is bad customer service<\/a> or a bad customer experience (CX). So, with that, I bring you <\/span>Shep\u2019s Law of Customer Service<\/span><\/i>, which is:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nFor <\/span>almost <\/span><\/i>every bad customer experience created, there is an opposite reaction by the customer. They don\u2019t come back.\u202f\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\n\u00a0<\/span>Notice that I put the word <\/span>almost<\/span><\/i> in the definition. Let me explain.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nA company wants a customer to buy its product or service. Then the customer has a bad experience. Perhaps an employee was rude or there was a problem with a shipment and the company didn\u2019t handle it properly.\u202fLet\u2019s call that the company\u2019s \u201caction.\u201d The \u201cequal and opposite reaction\u201d comes from the customer choosing not to come back, which is the opposite of what the company wants the customer to do.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nWhere customer service and CX differ from Newton\u2019s third law is that it\u2019s not always an exact equal or opposite reaction. It doesn\u2019t happen every time, but <\/span>almost <\/span><\/i>every time. What if <\/span>almost <\/span><\/i>all your customers, as in <\/span>almost <\/span><\/i>nine out of 10 of them, were to leave after experiencing bad customer service? That\u2019s exactly what we found in our latest <\/span>customer service research<\/span><\/a>, that 86% of customers are willing to switch brands or companies because of a bad customer service experience.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nAnd the company doesn\u2019t even have to deliver truly bad service \u2013 just not \u201cgood enough service.\u201d Eighty-three percent of customers are willing to switch because another company will give them better service.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nNow let\u2019s remember that perfection is not reality, so it\u2019s not quite as grim as it may seem. I have emphasized the word <\/span>almost<\/span><\/i>, and for very good reason. Our research also found that most customers give one or two chances before deciding to leave. While not quite an equal and opposite reaction, it\u2019s close enough to make the point. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nAnd mistakes don\u2019t count if they are managed well. A mistake or complaint handled well actually reinforces that the customer made the right choice to do business with that company \u2013 sometimes even more than if the mistake had never happened at all.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nLet\u2019s summarize it this way. When a customer chooses to do business with you, there are two future outcomes. They come back, or the opposite happens, and they don\u2019t. So, manage for the reaction \u2013 not the opposite reaction \u2013 that you want to happen, which is to get the customer to say, \u201c<\/span>I\u2019ll be back<\/span><\/a>.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\n