I get it. As CEOs, we have so much on our plates that handling small complaints seems like a bit of a stretch. 

I’m not perfect and I can get caught up amongst the chaos so much that I forget to stay on top of small things, too. 

But to ground myself, I try to remember something that happened last year that not only humbled me, but reminded me that nothing is too small for me.  

Every now and then, I receive a customer complaint email. 

And that time, I got a doozy of a nastygram: a woman wrote to me to share her horrible experience and that Visa/Master Card held her funds for 180 days!

As a small business owner, prompt payments are your lifeline, so I completely understand her frustration.

 

I felt so bad for her that:

1️. This happened

2️. She was so desperate for a resolution that she had to find the CEO’s email address.

 

Instead of telling her, “You should have done X,” or ignoring it and passing it off to my head of customer success, I chose to figure out a way to help this woman.

I responded to her that I got her email, that I was on it, and to let me figure it out by the end of the day.

And guess what? I solved it. ✅ (and it didn’t take me that much effort to, either!)

This morning, the customer sent me back an email confessing that she never expected to get a response and that, as a woman in her sixties, she wasn’t super familiar with technology or emails, so she appreciated my response and help.

She told me that leaders today usually don’t take the time and that she had finally restored her hope for the next generation.

She was so grateful that she’s now a “customer for life!” and wrote a glowing five-star review ⭐️ 

 

It served as a great reminder that as a CEO:

➡️ People just want to be heard.

➡️ It doesn’t take much to help your customers.

➡️ It doesn’t matter who’s fault the problem is; what matters is how you respond.

 

So my tip for the week is that nothing is too small for you, even if you are the CEO 😉