Oh, when I say customer service that is not to necessarily strongly apply the old saying, "The customer is always right." Because, quite honestly, that is not always true -- taken literally. What that saying really means is that it is better to keep the customer happy even if the customer might be clueless, rude, etc.
Now, a happy customer can often be a returning customer. I thought of this the other day when I visited a fast food restaurant. Full disclosure: I've made a concerted effort to avoid fast food (for financial and health reasons). On this night, however, I had neither the desire nor the energy to come home to make food.
The cashier who took my order could not have messed it up worse if it had been his goal in life. He was somewhat aloof. The person who brought my order saw the confusion on my face when she told me what was in the bag. I ordered four items and the cashier got one right. That won't even get you in the Baseball Hall of Fame as a hitter (although, I suppose it could make you a lot of money).
Anyway, the lady who brought the food offered to fix it, but I was in a hurry and said I would take it, and not to worry about it. So, while the guy got the order wrong, her willingness to fix it, had that been my desire, made the experience a bit less unpleasant.
So, in customer service, here are some things to consider.
- Be clear up front with a customer. If you get it right in the beginning then you don't have to worry about a complaint in the end.
- An angry customer might not express his/her frustration to your face, but might instead use a more powerful tool: social media. Don't let it get there, if at all possible.
- Be nice.
- Make better than the minimum effort.
- Work hard.
- Be professional.
- Always treat people at least a little better than they treat you.
Good customers are returning customers. While the customer may not always be right, it's oftentimes better to do what is reasonable to keep a customer happy and returning. Granted, some customers are jerks and this is not always possible. So, pick your battles. It's possible you may not want a jerk-of-a-customer back.
These days, in customer service, you never know when someone is recording you on a smart phone. You don't want to be on the ugly end of one of those videos viewed tens or hundreds of thousands of times.
