“Customer Service is everything and anything that touches a customer – directly or indirectly. Customer service means servicing customers and it’s so much more than just solving problems or addressing complaints. Customer service is part of a holistic customer experience that is capable of providing a critical competitive advantage in today’s increasingly cluttered and commoditized marketplace” – Joseph Jaffe
Refunds to customers involve paying the customer in full in return for damaged or faulty products, or unsatisfactory services. Every customer has a right to be paid back in cash should the corporate enterprise fail to live up to the customer’s expectations. This implies that the business should strike a balance between promising high standards of products and services, and the actual delivery of the said items. We must bear in mind the fact that when the customer paid in full for the product (or service) it indicates a certain degree of trust in the company’s products and services. Ideally, the scenario for refunds to customers should be remote in every business transaction because such refunds complicate the relationship between the buyer and the seller. That said we must consider the fact that best practices in returns and refunds indicate that the business enterprise is confident in its ability to deliver the promised goods and services. However, we must note that refunds to customers must be the exception, not the norm. A business that regularly refunds monies to its customers may lose its market reputation, and must seriously overhaul its product quality and service delivery standards.
A business enterprise should always take the long view in consideration before it deals with its customers. Any oversights bear the potential to cost the company in terms of lost profits and a dented market reputation. Consider this: a wireless telecommunications service provider that serves millions of customers should be serious about striking a balance between the profit motive and the pursuit of flawless customer service. Business imperatives may entice the said company to create a minor over-billing effort for every paying customer. This tactic can take the shape of charging each customer a small amount every month for special ringtones, various text messages, marketing communications, and other minor services. The enterprise may choose to overrule customer choice or consent to forge ahead with the over-billing in a systematic fashion. We could say that the enterprise was efficiently earning extra revenue each month through such tactics. However, when the market regulator steps into the scenario, it may rule against the said wireless telecommunications service provider and force the enterprise to issue refunds to every single customer. This is an instance of coercive tactics being wielded by a market regulator in the broader interests of fair market practices and safeguarding the customer’s rights. Following the regulatory intervention, the service provider is forced to issue refunds, lose its market reputation to an extent, and cede many customers to the competition.
A robust, refunds to customers policy should be a standard procedure in terms of the customer service operations of an enterprise. This stance indicates a customer-friendly business outlook that can help to expand the customer base by attracting new clients and customers. Individual refunds may be subject to internal reviews, but a standard operating procedure should be in place to entertain such customer claims. The paperwork and the internal processes should be created keeping the best customer services practices in mind. In addition, the business should analyse each customer complaint and try to assess and remedy the situation to the best of its ability. Refunds to customers should be directed through formal banking channels to ensure that a paper trail has been established for the benefit of customers and audit authorities. Further, the information that is generated by customer refund operations can be systematically studied in a bid to avoid such scenarios in the future.
The refunds to customers policy being operated by a business enterprise should be prominently displayed in retail locations and in the company’s website. This should be done in the interests of promoting transparency in customer services. Management personnel should carefully vet the text of the refund policy so that the enterprise can be shielded from fraudulent claims or unfair business practices. The customer can be charged for shipping the product back to the merchant or the manufacturer if no errors were detected in processes that shipped the product to the customer’s destination. We must bear in mind that the fine print of the customer refund policy must be robust and flawless, to deflect any legal challenges posed by an aggrieved customer. Further, the refund check should be issued without any delays once the due processes are complete. This should help to convey the message that the corporate enterprise abides by its own policies and is mindful about the customer’s rights to receive a refund.
We must closely examine the role of a customer refund policy in the context of business generation and expansion. A first time customer is likely to closely examine the refund policy of a business. This is especially true for online businesses because the customer has no real contact with the merchant he or she is dealing with. The online shop front is bereft of any human presence and therefore, the customer has to depend on the refunds to customers policy to retrieve his or her funds in case they are not satisfied with the product. Therefore, the modern digital business is obliged to offer s detailed customer refund policy in order to assure the customer that he or she will not lose money in any event. This can also be viewed as an extension of the customer service policy operated by the said business. A successful customer refund is also an opportunity for a business to connect with its customers. In the online world, the said business enterprise can choose to be pro-active and seek out the original complainant for a review of the progress achieved in the customer refund process. This demonstrates the organization’s interest in its customers’ wellbeing and can win positive publicity for the business.
In case a business refuses to operate a refund policy, it should be upright and state that fact upfront. Every business has a duty to be transparent in its dealings, and this should be obvious in every transaction. The business may choose to underline the reasons thereof, but the statement of intent should be clear and unambiguous. This is important in terms of managing customer expectations and creating a flawless customer experience. This approach may sound counter-intuitive, but it should pay off in the long-term. Clients and customers may then engage with the business with the full knowledge that a refund policy does not exist and once any transaction with said business is closed, the chances of reversing these transactions is nil.
In the preceding paragraphs, we have examined in detail the various aspects of customer refund policies. These policies are important for a business enterprise because they help to generate customer trust and to foster business confidence. Refunds can be treated as a business expense that must be endured in the interests of serving customers in a competitive market. Every business must bear in mind that a “no questions asked” refund policy might open the doors to a flood of customer complaints and refund requests. Therefore, it must be prepared to contest such requests on valid business grounds. However, the bottom line for refund policies lies in superior customer service.
