Customer Service Tips

A few years ago, in my murky past as a customer service officer, I got sick of being abused by customers who complained that they could never get good customer service. As someone in the customer service industry, I often managed to get excellent customer service myself, and wondered why these people thought it was so difficult, when the real problem was getting good customers. One day, I had enough of all the complaining and compiled a list of tips for getting good customer service. I never did anything with it, but on the weekend I stumbled across it and thought 'Maybe I should put that on my blog'. It's a cross between slightly ironic, slightly bitter and slightly helpful, so I thought I'd post it here now to share with the wider world, in the hopes of helping customers find good service, and customer service people find good customers (or at the very least, a bit of a laugh). Enjoy.

It’s not news that people often complain it’s hard to find good customer service. But what might be news to most people who don’t work in the customer service industry is that it’s even harder to find good customers. Now, before you get in an uproar, consider this. Every single person who works in the customer service industry is a customer themselves. Because of this, we know how to get the service we want and deserve. How? Well, for the first time, here are some tips, not from some expert who sits in a room studying papers or god knows what else these so-called consumer experts do. Right from the horses mouth – someone who actually gives you this service.

Tip #1 – Be nice, or at least be calm
We know you’re upset if something has gone wrong or you don’t understand something. We understand that sometimes you feel as if you have been hard done by in some way. But it is a well known, well discussed common habit in every call centre I’ve ever worked in or heard of that we go the extra mile for people who deserve it. No one likes rudeness, and just because we are on the other end of a phone doesn’t mean it’s acceptable to throw verbal abuse at us. That only makes us want to get you off the phone quicker, and we will do the bare minimum to help you, not to mention mirror your attitude. But the nice people, who state their problem clearly and calmly and know how to show their displeasure without abuse, evoke empathy for their situation and get a better result.

Tip #2 – Be Reasonable
Every call we take is a problem in need of a solution. But we are limited in the solutions available to us. If a customer service agent has listened to your clearly stated problem and shows understanding, we know the solutions available. Remember, you are not the only person in the world with this problem. We have probably heard this before and know where we, you and the company stand. We know what is possible and what is not. Trust me on this, if we have stated we have booked the soonest possible appointment, it is the soonest possible appointment. If we have given you the maximum possible refund, it is the maximum possible refund. You wouldn’t expect a flight from Townsville to Perth to only take half an hour because it’s convenient, it’s just not possible. The same goes for everything else. Some things are just not possible. We have nothing to gain from not doing the best we can to help you. Read – Nada, Zilch, Zero!!!

Tip #3 – Listen carefully to everything we are trying to tell you
Seriously, the amount of times I have gotten halfway through a sentence, been interrupted with screaming, had to wait it out and then continue with “as I was trying to explain”. Some simple things to understand: There is no way to remove a charge from a bill that hasn’t been created yet. We cannot resend something that we have not received back yet. We cannot make delivery companies work faster. Things aren’t always as simple as flicking a switch. Everyone else has problems and wants things done right away too, that’s why everybody has to wait their turn, just like you do at the supermarkets, the fast food joint, the bank. If you ask what the problem is, we are only too happy to explain it, but you definitely will not get the full story if you jump in half way. A prime example? If you only read half of Pride & Prejudice, you’d never know Elizabeth does marry Mr. Darcy.

Tip #4 – Remember, you can’t help someone who won’t help themselves
Sometimes there are simple things you can do yourself that will improve your circumstances - changing a plan on line, working out the value of something, calling a third party for clarification, filling out a form that contains more details. Yes, we understand that this can be an inconvenience for you, and yes we understand that sometimes this is caused by our error, but the more you are willing to help sort out the problem, the quicker, easier and sooner we can help you sort it out. Accept the unchangeable, or as some would put it, realize that if you’re not part of the solution then you must be part of the problem.

Tip #5 – Accept our apologies
Think this is a weird one? Maybe, but many, many times I have had to apologize for a customer previously being told the wrong thing, or the wrong change being made (we all know the list goes on) only to have the customer say “Well that’s not good enough”. Remember, we don’t have to apologize. In some industries, we actually put ourselves at risk by doing so. But our apology demonstrates empathy for your situation, expresses our regret at the inconvenience caused, and means that we are trying to work out the best way to help you. Just say thank you and help us reach a mutually acceptable solution.

Tip #6 – Accept that we know more about this than you do
That is why we work here and you don’t. We have trained in some cases for months to understand the products, processes and policies so that we can deal expertly with your enquiries. Understandably, some people are better at this than others. By the time we get on the phone to you, we are experts.

Tip #7 – We are aware of the problems that exist in our organization
Yes, really, we are. Most people in call centres take anywhere from 40 to 200 calls in a day. When you think about it, that’s a lot of opportunities to identify common problems. That is why we are happy to apologise and remedy the problem. We know that some areas (we call them sales) often are not completely clear, or do not tell you everything. We are happy to fully explain anything that you ask us to. Really.

Tip #8 – Nothing is perfect
Not you, not us. Enough said.

Tip #9 – Have an angle, know what you want and be prepared to negotiate
If you call in a rage simply demanding we fix this, do that etc, you’re clearly not going to get what you want. Think over it carefully, be able to justify or provide clear, concise reasons and ideas. We may not be able to give you exactly what you want, but most of us have other things we can provide to reduce inconvenience. If your broadband has been accidentally disconnected, we can’t get it up and running immediately, but we can give you free temporary dial up access. We may not be able to give you a 10% discount on insurance but we may be able to give you a free optional extra. We may not be able to get someone out to your house today, but we may be able to do it for free when we would usually charge. If we are part or all of the problem, we will have some room to move when negotiating solutions but that doesn’t mean we can give you exactly what you want.

Tip #10 – Make sure you have your facts straight and are looking at the whole picture
Before you call up saying we have overcharged you, check some simple things like the billed from and to dates and the bill components, not just the total outstanding. Check the bill issued date if it shows an amount outstanding you think you’ve paid. Read the whole documents before you call to tell us some information is wrong. Think carefully about wether or not we have sent you an email or letter you discarded without reading properly before asking us why we did not advise you of changes. We are happy to confirm all these things, but please be fair. Generally we have made the effort to do the right thing by you, and if it is clear we have done the wrong thing we are happy to fix it.

Of course, there are other things you can do to improve your customer service, but being nice, clear, rational, prepared and receptive are all going to help. Remember, if you act like you expect bad customer service, that is more than likely what you are going to get. Yes, all companies want to keep customers rather than lose them, but who in their right mind would want to maintain a relationship with someone who is abusive, irrational, threatening and all too quick to jump to the wrong conclusion. Not you? I thought so.

Anyway, I hope this helps, so next time you’re talking to a customer service agent, try these. You never know what you might get.