Mirror Responsibility at Complaint Desks

Placing a mirror behind the places where you accept complaints reduces the intensity of customers’ dissatisfaction. This finding by researchers at Bayer Healthcare, Columbia University, and Maastricht University deserves an explanation: When a consumer sees an image of herself, her self-awareness increases. This leads to the consumer subconsciously considering what part she played in the unsatisfactory experience.
     Mirrors cause us to pause and look at ourselves. Moreover, the reflection in the mirror helps a person sense the emotions they’re experiencing, again arousing the sort of self-awareness that can ease extreme irritation.
     A video camera attached to a monitor, both of which are easily spotted by the consumer, accomplishes the same result. Research finds that just having the camera itself helps, although it’s not as effective as the full setup.
     Did I hear you say the placement of a large mirror won’t work out for you, and you’re concerned consumers won’t notice the video camera? Then use psychological mirrors. The Bayer/Columbia/Maastricht researchers suggest asking the consumer questions which include words like “you” and “your.” Researchers at National University of Singapore and Chinese University of Hong Kong suggest having words like “I,” “my,” and “mine” on signage in the area.

• The effect occurs when the customer is asked or asks herself to evaluate the shopping trip or the experience with the product. It does not occur at the time of the experience itself. That’s why the mirror at the complaint desk works in this way.
• The effect reduces the intensity of extreme positive emotions as well. The Bayer/Columbia/Maastricht researchers found that after looking at themselves in a mirror, customers were more likely to take credit for their part in highly pleasant shopping experiences, reducing the credit given to the retailer.
• The effect makes extreme emotions more moderate, so it works best for you with people who are so upset it becomes difficult to resolve the complaint. When a mildly disappointed customer looks at himself in the mirror, it can increase the intensity of the negative emotion.
• The effect occurs only when there is a plausible reason for the consumer to conclude they might have partial responsibility for an unsatisfactory experience, such as a failure to follow usage instructions.

     For the history of retailing, mirrors in stores have been recommended as a way to add light and dilute the perception of crowding. It turns out that this also holds true in lightening and diluting intense dissatisfaction.

For your profitability: Sell Well: What Really Moves Your Shoppers

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