The Importance of Good Customer Service (Part XXIV)

We’ve offered quite a few posts on customer service tips, errors, blunders, horrors, etc. Why? Because your customer service reps are your first and often only point of contact with your customers. A bad experience could lead to not only a customer taking his/her business elsewhere, but can also earn your business a serious thrashing on Twitter or Facebook, thus souring others on your services. CustomerContactNews offers this advice:

You might unknowingly tick off customers if anyone in your contact center commits any of these stupid service mistakes:

  • Lazy courtesy. In the rush to get information, agents might forget to use common courtesies such as “please,” “thank you” and “you’re welcome.” Use them early and often in all conversations.
  • Poor record keeping. Misspelled names, incorrect pronunciations and repeated mistakes on paperwork bother customers. Regularly check that your records are correct.
  • Promises fell short. Promise a little less than you know you can deliver and you’ll keep customers happy.
  • Policy protection. You’ll lose customers if you hide behind policies so you don’t have to do something for them. Instead, find ways around roadblocks and help eliminate policies that inhibit agents and customers.
  • Inaccessibility. If customers can’t get through to you easily, they won’t stick around to try harder. Give them options (e-mail, online chat and a quickly answered toll-free number).
  • Untrained staff. If agents consistently have to turn to others for help, customers will get frustrated. Agents don’t have to know all of the answers, just where to find them. So train more on accessibility and encourage them often to do what’s right for customers