Customer Service Mistakes

Can you recall ever having a bad service experience at a restaurant? Maybe your server was having a bad day and they took it out on you. Sure, you were served a hot meal, but how about being served a smile? Could it be that your customers are getting a similar experience as they do business with your company? Let’s talk about three customer service mistakes you don’t want to make.

Another Runaround

Your customer is calling with a particular concern, and they need it addressed right now. Does your company make it easy to get such issues resolved right away? Or does the customer have to be put on hold and tossed from one team member to another without really getting an answer? When you give customers the runaround, you might as well give them to your competition.

Poor Listening Skills

Put your customer service skills to work. Be a good listener. That’s why we have two ears and one mouth! When you observe your staff interacting with customers, is it evident that they have good listening skills? Taking notes while the customer speaks is a great help. Is there a lot of commotion or a radio playing in the background? This will make it very difficult for your people to listen when speaking on the phone. Lastly, use speach that tells your customer that you are listening, such as “I understand” or “let me repeat that to you.”

Bad Manners

“Say you’re sorry.” You probably remember your parents instructing you to say this over and over again. How thankful we can be that they took the time to train us in good manners. Not only are manners important in life but in business as well. So would you describe your staff as being mannerly? Do they use words like “sorry”, “please”, and “thank you”? During the hiring process, you can head off poorly mannered prospects by observing how they speak. Additionally, look closely at the cover letter for customer service resume submissions. Does the tone of the letter reflect kindness and warmth or arrogance and pride?

So, how are we doing? Maybe we see a need to improve in avoiding the runaround game. We could probably improve our listening skills and manners. Whatever the case, make the changes. If you do so, your customers will love you and very likely stick with you for many years to come!