Here’s a clue: Don’t be rude
Let me explain. Last week I tried to get into my corporate bank account online, but for some reason I was locked out. When I called the bank the person I spoke to (let’s just call him “Rudy”) asked me security questions in order to verify my identity. But they weren’t my personal security questions, they were based on past financial transactions, asking for dates I couldn’t recall. Rudy’s response was to say, “Oh well, you’ll just have to go into your branch.”
I thought this was a ridiculous “solution.” So, I spoke to Rudy’s manager, who easily got me into the account. Then she transferred me back to Rudy to check some information regarding a couple of transactions. That’s when communication really broke down. He gave me some instructions I didn’t immediately understand, and we went back and forth for a while. Then he told me — wait for it — that I should just stop talking. That’s right, the customer was told, essentially, to shut up. Naturally, I asked to speak to his manager again. And, dear blog reader, what do you suppose Rudy did? He put me on indefinite hold.
The entire incident demonstrated terrible customer service that reflected badly on a major Canadian financial institution, and made this customer consider taking her business elsewhere. In fact, Rudy gave such a thorough demonstration of how not to treat customers that I was inspired to create the following guide.
How Not to Treat Your Customers
Hire Rude People: The best method to ensure you hire rude employees is to avoid screening interviewees thoroughly. Refrain from checking references so that you will have a greater likelihood of hiring short-tempered and unprofessional workers. Once hired, if you realize that your rude employee is having a particularly bad day, force that person to be on the front lines of customer service.
Ignore Unhappy Customers: Ensure your employees know that it’s always smart to avoid contact with an unhappy customer. For example, if customer service is done by phone you may simply put an unhappy customer on indefinite hold or tell that person to expect a call back from a manager, a call that never happens. Thanks to modern technology it’s so easy to ignore an unhappy customer!
Provide Inconsistent Service: Make sure employees have many options from which to choose when dealing with customers. That way you have a better chance of baffling people who contact your business on more than one occasion, hoping to solve a problem. An inconsistent user experience makes it more likely the customer will simply give up and go away.
Forbid Follow Up: Never do random checks (such as listening to recorded phone conversations) to find out how customer service staff are doing. (Better still, don’t bother to record conversations at all!)
OK, so the above list isn’t actually serious, of course, but I have a feeling if you’ve ever had a bad customer service experience you’ll relate. The truth is, treating a customer rudely is a sure-fire way to alienate that person and lose his or her business. That’s something that should matter a great deal to any business, because having loyal customers is essential to success. Once a customer’s trust is broken it’s very difficult to get it back.
Consider instead Eric Schiffer’s “Treat Them Well: 5 Keys to Lasting Customer Service,” which includes smart tips such as “treat everyone like a VIP,” or Newleaf Associate’s’ “Ten principles for delivering great Customer Service,” which encourages businesses to make customers feeling acknowledged and respected. (And never, ever tell your customer to “just stop talking”!)
Schedule a 30 Minute Complimentary Meeting to meet Sandra via phone or video. Find out if you both are a good fit to work together. Come to the call with your questions and what business communications challenges you’d like to get help with.