I have walked into a local package delivery service and the customer service representative was obviously not having a great day. I was talked to as if I had just spilled my sippy cup all over their carpet. I was questioned as if I had put something inside that might explode with a raised eyebrow. Finally, after the interrogation I was politely asked if I wanted to complete a customer service survey.
I have been placed on hold and bounced between multiple departments of call centers and treated as if I was a burden on the representative from the other side of the phone. I’ve been rudely supported and told to have a great day in a sarcastic tone as well.
I have also experienced great service at organizations from IT people and have bought their product by the referral from that IT person. They walked with me through the entire purchase and guided me away from extras that were not needed. They did not leave my side until I was fully satisfied with the product and thanked me. That is right they actually thanked me for spending time with them.
The interesting thing is though is that does not matter what the position in the organization is whether it be CEO, a sales person, an engineer, or a janitor. We are a representative of the organization to the outside world. We have the opportunity to build up or tear down the reputation of our organization by how we treat others. We are ambassadors for the organizations we represent. We need to keep that in mind when we are sporting our organization’s name, at events, and even what we post on social media. We are all in customer service.
It also does not matter if we are not a paid employee of the organization either. When people see us representing an organization, they are making the association no matter our affiliation. People will make their perceptions based on the people they interact with.
I have had people in organizations tell me they don’t care if a customer likes it or not because they don’t have to interact with the customer regularly. It’s frankly, not their job. Unfortunately, what these individuals don’t understand is that the customer is buying products / services that are in turn funding the individual’s paycheck. Make enough customers stop buying from you and then you are looking for other employment.
When the customer has a bad experience now, they are able to send all over the world in a matter of seconds. The customer can influence their friend network faster than ever sharing their story. Organizations do not have the ability to respond to every negative comment on all of the social media platforms. There is just too much area to cover, but we can make sure we do our part and give the customer a great experience each and every time we interact with them.
No one is above customer service. We are all serving customers. Whether we like it or not, our organizations are judged by how we interact with others. Make the interaction a positive one. Be courteous, helpful, gracious, and humble.
Have a great week!
Sincerely,
Kevin Sidebottom
“Businesses wonder why the majority of their sales teams struggle at winning profitable business. I teach your sales team to walk with the customer through the five buying decisions, and in the correct order to generate more sales with higher profits!”
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lWIVasmkFsoYL4h0AqIZgH6LC3qaw_gI/view?usp=sharing – client profile sheet
https://www.amazon.com/Sales-Process-Uncovered-Success-Influence/dp/0578421518 - Book
https://kevinsidebottom.kartra.com/page/5AF12 - Sales Process Uncovered Online Training
https://kevinsidebottom.kartra.com/page/68N10 - Trustworthy Online Training