Everyone has received poor customer service at one time or another. Whether by accident or on purpose, its never pleasant and always frustrating. Have you ever wondered what you could do about improving it? Maybe you think theres nothing that can be done. What we all forget is that the power in todays society is moving more and more to the consumer. We have more choices than ever before. We have more options for the same products and services, and that means lower prices and generally better availability. And we can choose to buy or not to buy from a place that service is second-rate. Yeah, yeah, Bill. I hear you. So we should just avoid those places, and the problem may or may not go away. How can we actually get these people who are in the business of servicing to actually SERVE us? Would you like to see a formula Ive devised that works 99% of the time? Four easy steps. Check it out: What To Do If Youre On the Receiving End Of A Bad Customer Service Experience: 1. Remain Cool. If you flip out, chances are youre going to cause more damage than the original incident, and the offending party wont be able to learn the correct behavior. 2. Smile and ask for the employees name. Read their name badge or ask for their first and last name, and write it down on a piece of paper in front of them. Note the date and time as well. Sometimes this act alone will elicit an apology and additional corrective action from the offender to earn your repeat business. 3. Ask for their supervisors name. If the employee at fault wont cooperate, ask a co-worker. If no one will rat out their friend, ask for their names too. 4. Ask to see the supervisor. If theyre unavailable, call them as soon as possible after the incident. Describe the situation, using exact details. Let him or her know if it has affected your decision to go back to their business again. If we as consumers dont take action, service will continue to deteriorate, well continue to accept it, and well all be worse off in the long run. Dont just sit there and complain to your neighbor across the fence; do something about it. Nothing will change unless consumers like us demand better. Lets start a movement. A movement to improve our community one customer at a time. And if you happen to be one of those offending employees, let this article be your first warning: you are about to be watched like youve never been watched before. Please dont take that as a threat. Its not. We know youve got it in you to deliver top-notch customer service. We just need to experience it from you. Our community is being judged by the service we give. What kind of ambassador are you? Well be watching. |
