Customer Service Information |
|
Caring for Your Customers
You probably think I am going to say something like, "The customer is always right." Right?? Wrong. I have many philosophies when dealing with customers, but I definitely do not believe that the customer is always right. However, when the customer is wrong, you must handle the situation delicately. There are many types of customers and each one needs to be treated with respect and consideration no matter how difficult they may be. I have found that most (not all) people can be soothed out of their "nastiness". I used to work at our local casino and I would get all kinds of customers to deal with. Most of them were very pleasant as in the IM business, but there were a few that were very difficult. There was this one night when I came in contact with this particularly difficult lady who, of course, was having bad luck. She was just a bit**in" and blaming the casino!! I calmly yet firmly talked to her in a reassuring and respectful manner each and every time I came around. I noticed that each time I did talk to her she became more and more relaxed and controlled. Until finally, later in the evening, I went into the Ladies Room and who should be there, but the difficult lady! Well, as I came in, she burst out, " There she is. There's that girl who was so nice to me all night long and made me feel so much better"! She could not have been more grateful. ;-) Now this will not happen everytime you run into a difficult customer, but it could happen often. Treat people with respect, kindness and consideration and more often then not, you will be able to calm down a dissatisfied, belligerent customer. Listen to the customer and let them know you will do everything possible to get the problem resolved. Show them that you care! You need to actually care about your customer and care about making sure they are satisfied with you and your service and/or product. Do not just think of the customer as another sale. If you get the eternally nasty customer who will not be consoled no matter what you do, do not lose control or sink to their level. Remain calm but firm. The customer is not always right no matter how much they think they are. Be courteous and polite. Since I have been online, I have only encountered about three customers of the eternally nasty type. ;-) I did my best, but to no avail. So I had no choice but to send them on their way. I stood up for myself and for MOE and did not insult them in any way. But as we know, there is just no pleasing some people. I would say that 99% of the people I have encountered online have been absolutely wonderful! They make it easy to treat them with respect and courtesy. I, who has been painfully shy most of my life, love working with people and enjoy interacting with them online and offline. I think all (well, almost all) people are good in one way or another and deserve to be treated as such. This is why I do business by the motto: Treat others as you would like to be treated and Be true to yourself and your customers! About The Author Terri Seymour owns and operates MyOwnEzine.com You can contact Terri at mailto:ter02@newnorth.net
MORE RESOURCES: NBAA Unveils Customer Service Training Certification Program Aviation International News Hassan and Marshall legislation to improve government customer service signed into law Nashua Telegraph AT&T Unveils Industry-First Service Guarantee with Automatic Bill Credits for Network Outages StockTitan How ACI Worldwide is deploying AI Payments Dive Infographic: How Simon Roofing Improved Its Customer Service with Microsoft Dynamics 365 MSDynamicsWorld CSPI & Nutrition Action Customer Service CSPI Newsroom What Keeps Healthcare CIOs Up at Night: Balancing Technology Investments with Consumer Expectations MedCity News SIGNED INTO LAW: Senators Hassan and Marshall’s Bipartisan Legislation to Improve Government Customer Service Maggie Hassan Oracle and NVIDIA Join Forces to Drive AI Innovation in Bank FinTech Magazine AT&T Unveils First & Only Customer-First Promise Across Both Wireless & Fiber Networks; Plus, Customer Care & Deals Canada NewsWire Valvoline Ranked Among Best in Customer Service AftermarketNews.com (AMN) What’s the future for customer service and hospitality in coffee? Perfect Daily Grind Cents Launches Cents Assist, the First AI-Powered Call Center Built for Laundry Businesses PR Newswire Arrest of AT&T rep highlights why it's important to always double-check what you agree to Android Authority SailPoint Recognized as a 2024 Gartner Peer Insights™ Customers’ Choice for Identity Governance and Administration Business Wire Banglalink launches AI-based customer service chatbot Telecompaper EN NorthStar Moving Ranked #1 Moving Company for Customer Service in Newsweek's 2025 List The Manila Times Vontier’s Driivz extends its offering to provide Call Center and Network Operation Center (NOC) Services GlobeNewswire Is a hybrid AI-human model the key to superior customer service? Interesting Engineering As the cost of living bites, good customer service becomes priceless Region Illawarra My experience as a Customer Service and Sales Intern Toby Shapiro's Experience at A.D. Sutton and Sons Chapman University Customer Service & Support Hillsborough County (.gov) Sprout Social launches 2025 index Marketing Beat Fulton County Recognizes National Customer Service Week Fulton County Government My Utilities Account City of Santa Clara America's Best Customer Service 2025 Newsweek Celebrate Customer Service Week City of Riverside, California (.gov) Fulton County Recognized as a 2024 National Customer Service All Star Fulton County Government Welcome to Riverside Public Utilities City of Riverside, California (.gov) Customer Assistance Programs DC Water 8 strategies for using AI for customer service in 2024 Sprout Social Sysdig earns top accolade in Gartner customer choice 2024 SecurityBrief Australia Shep Hyken, HPU Customer Service Expert, Mentors Students and Staff High Point University 11 key elements of excellent customer service Business.com Department of Transportation | Department of Transportation Governor Tom Wolf Can artificial intelligence rescue customer service? The Economist I CARE VA.gov Home | Veterans Affairs SUN Bucks: Pennsylvania’s Summer EBT program Governor Tom Wolf Updated Customer Service Hours - Several Departments Downtown Riley County Official Website What Your Business Can Learn From Southwest Airlines Business.com Conway Corp employees win MACTA Customer Service awards Log Cabin Democrat Office of Developmental Programs Governor Tom Wolf One Stop PGH Pittsburgh PA.gov Contact Us - Yosemite National Park (U.S. National Park Service) National Park Service BEST CUSTOMER SERVICE Forbes bizfile California Secretary of State IRS Should Ensure Customer Service Enhancements Are Accessible for Taxpayers with Disabilities National Taxpayer Advocate Banglalink launches AI chatbot for customer service newagebd.net View/Pay Your Utility Bill City of Tucson Social Security Is Improving Our National 800 Number and Reducing Call Wait Times Social Security Matters TMF invests $30M in SSA IT upgrades for improved customer service Federal News Network Fare-Free Service for Customer Appreciation and Try Transit Week charlottenc.gov Video Quick Take: Intercom’s Brian Donahue on How AI Customer Service Agents Are Delivering Massive Value HBR.org Daily Top 6 social media customer service tools for your brand Sprout Social 8 customer service trends to know in 2025 Sprout Social |
RELATED ARTICLES
Dissatisfied or Rude Customers Can Be Satisfied Customers On a recent airline flight I was an upset customer. I was arriving on a late inbound flight and connecting with the last flight out on the same airline, but the connecting flight left without me! At first, I was furious when told to wait in a line of 300 people to resolve my problem. Customer Neglect What have you done for your existing customers lately? Probably not much, if you are like most businesses.I know that hunting new business is more of an adrenaline rush than working the business you already have, but it is not as crucial to your long-term success. Hit The Jackpot With Customer Complaints Our most powerful instinct is to avoid customer complaints, but they may be the best thing that happens to your business. Here's why. Courting Customers - From First Date to Marriage Landing a new client is like courting a potential spouse. The first date is usually a make or break situation and if the door is still open, the work has just begun. Putting The Serve Back Into Customer Service Good service is easy to spot and hard-to-find. Mediocre serviceoccasionally stands out but only because it's the cream-of-the-crap. How to Retain Your Customers the Dish Network Way Customer retention is vital to a business. If you cannot retain your customers you will be continually losing current customers and always on the search for new ones. Provide Exceptional Value - Grow Your Business The primary objective of a business is to get and keep customers. Growing a profitable business requires providing exemplary customer service and products or services of exceptional value. 4 Customer Service Mistakes Companies Should Avoid Making 1) Being placed on hold endlessly. Don't you just love it when you call a company and they place you on hold, leaving you to listen to their latest on-hold, recorded sales pitch, over and over again. The Importance of Good Customer Service Do you have good customer service? Even for your free giveaways?I have been thinking over the past couple of weeks why some WAHP's have trouble growing their business. They host chats or do online parties. Five Ways To Wow Your Client Running a business is about providing goods and services to human beings. Their experience with you can make the difference between a good day, a terrible day, a nothing-special day, and a "WOW" day for them! Wouldn't you like to be the reason a client's day changes from boring to "WOW?"The benefits of this approach are good for everyone involved. What To Do When Youve Blown It It's bound to happen sooner or later - yes, even to you and your business. Sometime or other, you will make a blunder that upsets a customer. It Is All About Customer Service! In this day of terrible customer service, it should come as no surprise that serving your customers, also known as visitors to your web site, must be a top priority. Forget about return on your investment, how your site looks, keywords, meta tags, and the like. Say It With Humor When you own a business, you may find yourself in situations that may be a little tricky to handle. Dealing with customers who steal is one of them. Be the Customer: See Yourself as Your Customers Do What do your customers experience when they interact with your business? As a mystery shopper, I help businesses see themselves through the eyes of their customers by posing as a typical customer and evaluating their service, quality and cleanliness. Was it easy to find what I needed? Were the employees polite and helpful? Was everything neat and clean? Was I thanked for my business? What happened when I made a return?Whether your business is an international retailer or a small one-person shop, what you don't know about your customers' perceptions of your quality and service can hurt you. Transforming Disgruntled Customers into Your Biggest Advocates "I am writing to complain about the widget I bought from your site the other day."Sell anything and eventually you will be on the receiving end of a sentence like this. Make Sure You Get The Customer Perspective Businesses that fail, often forget to seek out the customer perspective. I have talked to some folks at businesses that were less than succesful, and when asked if they actively seek out customer comments, the answer invariably is no. Making Your Contacts Work For You The best way to explain this concept is to tell you a story. While calling for lease purchasing property, I spoke with an older widowed woman. Client Service as a Competitive Advantage As someone who has been heavily involved facilitating strategic planning processes with organizations during the last 15+ years, I often find it somewhat amusing how people answer the questions I pose.For example, if I ask people, "What is your unique differentiation in the marketplace?" or "What does your organization really excel at?" They will almost always reply, "It has to be our client service. Customer Loyalty Loyal customers are the foundation of almost every business. Going the extra mile to provide outstanding customer service is the first step to customer loyalty. Handling Angry Clients What do you do when your client gets mad at you? How do you handle this? An angry client can be one of the biggest time and energy drains on a sales person. What you should specifically do will obviously depend on what the client is angry about. |
home | site map |
© 2006 |