You might think that every customer will provide value to your business. However, this isn’t quite true. The reality is that you can end up with some problem customers that you need to let go of. There are a few reasons why this might be the case.
Constant complaining
It’s possible that you have a subscriber who is constantly complaining about your service. This could be related to the price, the quality of your solution or even team members. Customers have every right to criticize businesses that they do not believe are offering the right level of service.
However, they can take advantage of their power. Some customers will leave negative reviews online in the hope of being rewarded by a business to correct or take down their comments. Others may just take the phrase ‘the customer is always right’ a little too literally.
Issues with payments
You can have issues with payments, even in a subscription-based model. A customer might start a subscription before changing their details in the hope that they will be able to access your service for free, at least for a short period. If payments are not automatic in your subscription solution, they could also be repeatedly late in delivering the payments for the services that you provide.
Damaging to your brand
Of course, you might also find that your business is favored by a group of customers that are damaging to your brand. For instance, you might find that the alt-right are huge fans of your company. This will always send the wrong message about what your business stands for.
Removing troublesome customers
So, now we know why you might want to dump a customer, let’s explore how to do this the right way? Remember, you need to remove them in a way that doesn’t reflect badly on your business or lead to negative comments online.
Raise the price
In some cases, you might find through research that a group of unwanted customers would be unwilling to pay your subscription if the price increases. This is an easy way to force them out as long as you are confident other customers will continue to use your service, even with the higher cost.
Give warning
If you are planning on canceling a customer’s subscription to make sure that you offer them plenty of opportunities to change their behavior. This could be relevant if they are responsible for paying for your services late. You need to ensure that the cancellation isn’t sudden and can’t be arguably unfair.
Try to resolve the issue
Finally, if you have a customer who is constantly unhappy you should always try and resolve the issue. Ensure they feel heard, listen to their concerns and try to understand the emotions they are feeling. If you are unable to resolve the issue do try and delight the customer.
When this fails, politely make one final attempt to resolve the problem. If this fails, you will likely find the customer cancels their subscription. You can then show you did everything in your power to keep them happy before this occurred.