Customer Service

Do you hate bad Customer service? Personally it is one of the very few things in My life that actually raises My blood pressure as I am usually a very laid back, easy going, fun loving person. In fact it is from some bad customer service experiences with other Businesses I have run that made Me create this site to help other Businesses the best way possible. Some of the examples below are from My own experience throughout life.

Be honest - Having information of your services should be accurate and you should ensure you live up to the promises. Too often Businesses say we will do this and that and a few Months later they cut the service right down or even stop. Worse still they have something on their Website, for instance, saying that there is time slots for Delivery but when it comes to ordering there is just an all Day slot and when ringing up to complain you are told there is no time slot and no such service available.

The Customer isn't always right - Sometimes Customers complain and have a valid point but sometimes they haven't understood exactly what the terms and conditions were of the Sale and will argue that they wasn't told. More often than not they have not read and understood the actual terms and conditions or maybe the Staff was not clear when explaining. Either way it is important to show respect to the Customer. So instead of saying 'your wrong, it's this and that...' be empathetic and see from their point of view and even if they are still in the wrong just politely refer them to your terms and conditions to which they should of read and agreed to before the sale. We all know We don't actually read the terms and conditions,  but make it perfectly clear on your Website or wherever they are purchasing from that by proceeding with the order they are agreeing to the terms and conditions you have set out. More often than not when they realise they was wrong they will apologise and be happy to do custom with you again, even if they don't show it at the time.

Turn the Sale around - Ever had a Customer Who got angry but then left you with a Sale and a handshake and maybe even a follow up letter saying how good the service was? I have! In My early Days in a Sales Career i approached a Customer in a very hurried manner which upset Him and He then turned on Me in a very threatening Manner and said He was going to report Me to My Manager. I quickly turned it around by apologising a lot and being empathetic saying i can fully understand if He would never buy from Me or the Company again and I don't deserve My Job. He calmed down, and to keep a long story short, it turned out to be one of the best Sales I had. Also when He next wanted some Products He asked for Me. Every Person Who enters your Shop, visits your Website or you meet down the Pub is a potential Customer. Treat them with respect, even if they don't like you or your products, as your good attitude towards them will stick in their memory when they find that they do need that Product/Service.

Keep the Customer Happy - No matter who was in the wrong ensure the matter has been resolved to keep the customer satisfied. If it means giving something free or providing an extra service then so be it. But don't make a habit of this or you will be eating into your profits!

Be Prompt and accurate - Reply to Emails as soon as possible. Even if you can not answer the query at that time and need to investigate something first, email the Customer back to let them know that. There is nothing worse than asking a simple question or asking for a tweak of the service that the Business is providing to not hear from them for Days and then eventually hearing from them but they still don't take action. If someone is paying for a service/product from you they deserve a prompt, professional service at all times as they could become repeat customers and spread the positive word about what a great service you provide.  After all they are providing food on your table so it's the least they deserve.

Don't make excuses - If you or your Company does make a mistake just own up and apologise. Don't make excuses and push the blame back onto the Customer. For instance if someone complains that they haven't received something they asked for don't tell them they didn't ask for it unless you have written proof that they didn't ask for it. If you do have proof then show them the proof. If there is no proof then admit there has been a miscommunication.
Apologise if you haven't taken action on a request. Comments like 'We was unable to action your request because you Emailed outside office Hours' can be very frustrating as with the amount of Social Media these Days People can see that you are still working at the time of the Email. But what makes this example even worse is that they still don't action the request. Obviously this is a bad example for Companies who do Work set Hours and usually the Customer realises this and awaits patiently but for Companies with no set Hours this is a big frustration.