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Customer Service Information |
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Complaints Are Actually A Good Thing!
Nobody likes to get complaints. They make you question your judgment, they can ruin your day, and they almost always leave you in a bad mood. But what if I told you that complaints are actually a good thing? Really! I'm not kidding. Complaints are one of the best forms of research you can perform. Complaints are also one of the best sources for new product/service ideas. How so? Most people who complain are upset. When people get upset, they are more likely to speak their minds. Most people who complain also like to tell you exactly what you've done wrong AND tell you how they would do it better. While your customers' attitudes may not be something to look forward to, their hidden suggestions are! Let's look at this complaint: "I can't believe you are sending these huge files through email! How ridiculous can a person be!? That clogs up the emails of those of us who are on dial-up for at least 20 minutes. I don't have time for this. You know, if you had a brain in your head, you'd know about XYZ.com. They burn CDs for about $0.30 each and will ship them to your customers for about $1.00 each. Anybody can afford that price. I've deleted your email. When you decide to operate like a real business and send me a CD, I'll look at it." Yes? it's a harsh email. But most people who complain don't have very good manners, now do they? But take away the emotion. Take away the temper. Take away the insults, and what do you have left? A VERY good resource for CDs! This person has just given you a resource that can: (a) solve your problem with huge downloads (b) be a new product to sell (CDs instead of downloadable files) (c) offer you a solution that can benefit you and your customers All for free! How about the complaints that say, "You know, you really ought to?" Well? Maybe you really ought to. Have you thought about the customer's suggestion? Yes, it was probably hidden beneath a pile of profane words and threats? but look deeper. In all honesty, is this unruly customer doing you a favor? It happens more often than you might think. People, in general, have a bad habit of trying to show those they are upset with how big and bad they are. More times than not, you'll get great ideas buried inside a wrapper of rudeness. The next time you get a complaint, unwrap the package, and you just might find that the complaint is a blessing in disguise. If you remove the ugliness from the message, you could very well have some terrific ideas for improving or expanding your business! Copyright 2004 Diane Hughes About The Author Diane C. Hughes * ProBizTips.com FREE Report: Amazingly Simple (Yet Super Powerful) Ways To Skyrocket Your Sales And Build Your Business Into A Tower of Profits! ==>> http://madmarketer.com/diane
MORE RESOURCES: Changes at Social Security Administration may impact customer service, benefit payments, experts say CNBC Cognigy Recognizes Enterprises Transforming Customer Service with AI at Nexus Summit 2025 Morningstar AI won’t fix the real issue with customer service Financial Times Aqua begins customer service line inventory to ID, replace lead lines in Shenandoah The Shenandoah Sentinel Cognigy Recognizes Enterprises Transforming Customer Service with AI at Nexus Summit 2025 Business Wire SBA opens customer service center in Paintsville for flood victims The Paintsville Herald MetTel Wins Multiple Stevie® Awards, Marking 12 Years of Customer Service Excellence - Yahoo Finance Attune Insurance honored with multiple global 2025 Stevie® Awards for Sales & Customer Service PR Newswire New Jersey American Water’s Customer Assistance Programs Township of Scotch Plains (.gov) CSPI & Nutrition Action Customer Service Center for Science in the Public Interest How SAP CX AI Toolkit Transforms Customer Service Operations Technology Magazine Customer Service & Support Hillsborough County (.gov) How to address common customer service gaps TechTarget How This Indiana Retailer Marries Celebration and Customer Service in His Store Gifts & Decorative Accessories Zomato cuts 600 customer support jobs amid AI adoption Verdict Food Service Cognigy Recognizes Enterprises Transforming Customer Service with AI at Nexus Summit 2025 Bluefield Daily Telegraph Produce Wholesalers: Solving Customer Challenges Through Service Produce Business Porsche placed first in 2025 J.D. Power Customer Service Index Study Porsche Newsroom Bullhead City leads Mohave Community College workshop on customer service mohavedailynews.com What Your Business Can Learn From Southwest Airlines Business.com Monetary Gold Achieves Record Customer Service Improvement, Climbs to #3 in Industry Rankings PR Newswire Certificate of Achievement – Sales and Customer Service (Online) Lake Michigan College Watchdog slams Australian supers' customer service Pensions & Investments Centier Bank lands No. 1 on J.D. Power customer service ranking Northwest Indiana Business Magazine Is customer service dead? Newstalk Camiral Golf & Wellness sets benchmark for exceptional customer service Golf Business News How AI Is Changing the ROI of Customer Service - SPONSOR CONTENT FROM INTERCOM Harvard Business Review Launch of New Districtwide Customer Service Platform The School District of Philadelphia Revolutionizing customer service: MaestroQA’s integration with Amazon Bedrock for actionable insight Amazon Web Services AARP Virginia Statement on Customer Service Changes Announced by the Social Security Administration AARP States My Utilities Account City of Santa Clara (.gov) Customer Service Center apps.tampagov.net Welcome to Riverside Public Utilities City of Riverside California (.gov) 311 - Birmingham’s Customer Service Center City of Birmingham, Alabama (.gov) The one metric that muddled customer service Star Tribune Will DOGE crash customer service at Social Security? Federal News Network Generative and agentic AI set to transform customer service into a strategic value driver for businesses Marketing Tech News Running our contact centers on Azure Microsoft BAM Forms Joint Committee with GPBM to Improve Bank Customer Service in Morocco - Morocco World News Changes at Social Security Administration may impact customer service, benefit payments, experts say MSN 354th FSS gains new Customer Service Portal eielson.af.mil 11 key elements of excellent customer service Business.com Customer service transformation Capgemini |
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