Please don’t go: How to handle customer cancellations

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February 4, 2025

Illustration: opico / iStock / Getty Images Plus / Getty Images

Illustration: opico / iStock / Getty Images Plus / Getty Images

It’s the call none of us wants to get: The customer tells us they need to cancel our services because they cannot afford it.

This is a crossroads in your relationship with a customer. On the one hand, you can accept the cancellation and hope they will call you back and begin anew if they ever need you again. On the other hand, we all share the fear that once they leave, they will never come back.

Is the customer stating they have financial issues when, in reality, they are just unhappy with your service? Are they moving onto another company for price or service issues? Will they tell all their friends they left your company and hurt your reputation?

Will you ever get another chance with this customer?

Consider your options

First, let me state a fact that we have experienced in our business: One of our highest lead sources is “returning customers.” If a customer is leaving you, how you handle that moment can make the difference between the possibility of a returning customer or a severed relationship that also may include bad reviews, negative word-of-mouth and a customer who finds another company.

In my experience, there are times when the customer’s financial reasons are real, and when things get better, they come back to us. Sometimes, they want to cancel because we solved their pest problems, and they think they no longer need us. (This is my favorite — getting fired for doing a great job.)

Other times, customers leave to try another company. In these cases, you have a strong possibility of regaining their business when they realize that after leaving you, the other company does not suit them.
So, there are two ways to go here. One is to let them go and hope that someday they will call back. While this sounds like a bad plan, remember that “returning customers” are a huge lead source for us — not only the loyal accounts but those who strayed and returned when they realized how important our service is.

The other is to pursue the customer in some way. If the company they went with does not meet their expectations, there will be a time when this customer wishes they had never left you. In those cases, calling them in six to 12 months can get them back, assuming they left feeling good about you.

Create a campaign

In our market, there are so many pest control companies that any customers who left you can save face just by moving to yet another company. For this reason, I have my team engage in “win-back” campaigns. We call customers six months after they leave to let them know we miss them and would love the opportunity to serve them again if needed or desired.

Honestly, this tactic has limited success, but again, “returning customers” is one of our biggest lead sources. Opening the door for their return lets them know we are not holding a grudge and are still here for them.

When the pests return (if the customer went without pest control for a time) or when the new company stumbles, you are there — ready, willing and able to reconnect and restart the relationship.
Being gracious and forgiving works in every relationship, and pest control is no different. A customer who returns after leaving is sometimes more solid and committed than one who never left.

About the Author

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JENKINS, who rotates this column with his brothers Bobby and Raleigh, is president of ABC Home & Commercial Services, Dallas, Texas. He can be reached at djenkins@abcpest.com.

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