| |
| |
|
Customer Service Information |
|
|
|
The Great American Customer Service Unawareness Campaign
Q: I'm so sick of you so-called business experts always saying the customer is always right. This is my business, not the customer's, so I'm the one who's always right. Sure, they can have an opinion, but in the end it's up to me to decide who's right and who's not. And if the customer doesn't like it they can take their business elsewhere. What do you say to that, Mr. Business Expert? -- Paul W. A: Ah, Paul, and I had such high hopes that we would be friends. Oh well, so much for that hope. The fact is, Paul, within the context of a normal business transaction, the customer is always right. If you can't accept that fact, you won't have customers for long. Sure, the customer might also be unreasonable, demanding, obnoxious, totally insane, and argumentative, but if you are willing to take their money in exchange for providing a product or service, then yes, the customer is always right. I agree that there are terrible customers that will beat you into the ground if you let them. They rant, they rave, and they demand more than they should receive. But guess what, Paul? If a customer crosses the line of reasonability you don't have to do business with them. Thank them for their time and then send them on their not-so-merry way. Let them become someone else's problem if they are too much for you. I have invited customers to take their business elsewhere and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. The truth is some customers can not be pacified and end up doing more harm to your business than good. Still, it's up to you to do business with them and if you choose to do so, you basically agree to put up with whatever they dish out. Most customer issues arise from bad customer service. There is not a week that goes by that I am not confronted with bad customer service, provided by apathetic business owners and their disgruntled employees who don't seem to give a flip that I am not a happy customer. As an entrepreneur I give my fellow entrepreneurs more leeway than most people when it comes to bad customer service. I know how hard it is to be in business and I know how busy the average entrepreneur is. Still, the entrepreneur who ignores the customers needs will not be an entrepreneur very long. I am not an over-demanding customer, but I do expect to be treated with the respect due someone who is willing to pay hard earned money for a product or service. In the past year I have been physically assaulted by a car salesman who refused to back up the promises he had made to get my signature on the dotted line. I've given up going to a certain Mexican fast food restaurant because the spiky-haired kids behind the counter act like taking my order is a major imposition on their day and when I do convince them to sell me food, the order is always wrong. And a certain cable company is still billing me for cable service at a house I moved out of six months ago. So don't preach to me about who's right and who's wrong, Paul, because I have enough customer service horror stories to fill your soon to be empty appointment book, and in every case the customer WAS right. Tell you what, Paul, instead of continuing my regular customer service sermon let me take this opportunity to write an open letter to you and other entrepreneurs everywhere who share your point of view. Dear Paul (and the rest of you jokers), The next time I order your product and you swear on a stack of bibles that it will absolutely, positively be there overnight and when it doesn't show up for two weeks and is broken in a dozen pieces and I call you to complain and you just say, "Oh well..." The next time you tell me that my house needs a new roof when really all it really needs is a few shingles nailed down and when I confront you with the truth of the matter and you just say, "Oh well..." The next time you tell me that my car needs a new engine when all it really needs is a battery, and I point this out to you and you just say, "Oh well..." The next time I get lousy customer service from you I am going to go out of my way to let the world know about you. I'm going to start a campaign of customer service unawareness that will have angry customers beating on your door with torches and pitch forks in hand. I'm going to send emails to everyone I know and encourage them to pass them on to everyone they know. It'll be like that old shampoo commercial where I tell two friends and they tell two friends and they tell two friends and before you know it the entire world will know to avoid your business like the plague. Then I'm going to build a website dedicated to telling the world about your lousy customer service, Paul. I'll register it with search engines and send out press releases and buy TV and radio spots that announce to the world that your idea of customer service leaves much to be desired. And when you come crying back to me, Paul, moaning that you have been run out of business as a result of my campaign of customer service unawareness do you know what I'm going to say? That's right, Paul, old pal. I'll just say, "Oh well..." Note to readers: Have you experienced bad customer service? If so email me the details. Who knows, maybe we can hit the campaign trail together. Here's to your success! Small Business Q&A is written by veteran entrepreneur and syndicated columnist, Tim Knox. Tim's latest books include "Small Business Success Secrets" and "The 30 Day Blueprint For Success!" Related Links: http://www.smallbusinessqa.com http://www.dropshipwholesale.net
MORE RESOURCES:
Customer-Service - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Proofs of Delivery and Logistics: Speeding Throughput and Avoiding Pitfalls It should be a straightforward business scenario: making sure that the delivery documentation from the supplier or haulier matches up with the documentation at the target destination.However life is rarely straightforward, and if problems do arise, order completion times and cash flow will inevitably suffer as a result. Your Actions Tell Your Clients How You Expect To Be Treated There is a widely accepted principle of human behavior that goes something like this. "Your actions tell the world how you expect to be treated. What Every Employee Should Know About How to Prevent Customer Service Conflicts There are five techniques that have been proven to be effective in resolving, minimizing, and preventing conflicts. And by conflicts I am referring to any of the following that may take place between two or more people: misunderstanding, miscommunications, arguments, disagreements, mixed messages, fighting, etc. Cultivating the Trust Factor In today's highly competitive economy, it is difficult to maintain a significant market advantage based on your professional skills alone. Developing a trusting relationship with your clients is key to your success. Develop Loyal Customers for a Lifetime - part 2 (11 - 20) Traditional marketing strategies encourage business owners to continually grow their businesses by adding new customers. In today's competitive world of business, it is more important than ever to aim for more transactions with existing customers by using the power of customer follow-up and attention to good service. And The Difference is... Attitude I returned a rental car at an airport yesterday. As the person who was going to check me in approached, he smiled (which shocked me) and said, "Hello Mr. Top Ten Strategies for Delivering 5-Star Customer Service Customer satisfaction is valuable, but customer loyalty is priceless. In today's competitive world of business, it is becoming more and more important to deliver customer service that is unbeatable. Stay - Say - Pay Would you like to have customers that stay with you and don't buy from your competitors? Customers that say nice things about your business to other people; pay you on time and accept the fact that you might be a bit more expensive then other suppliers? Of course you do but how do we perform this miracle? It's dead easy really; you only have to consider two factors: be Reliable and be Likeable.It almost goes without saying that it's vital to have a reliable product or service. How Not to Get Stiffed, Improving Your Collection Procedures Some businesses have slow paying customers or past due balances because they didn't "train" their customers in the beginning.It is important that your customers know your credit policy and/or terms of payment, BEFORE they become a customer. Managing Your Business When One Client Takes Alot of Your Time How often has your schedule been thrown out of whack because of a client's needs?I try to live by the 80/20 rule: working from my home office 80% of the time and working onsite with clients 20% of the time. But, the past week has been the exact opposite. Writing The Book On Great Customer Service Q: One of the big chain bookstores recently opened up near my small book store. Already I can see my business starting to decline. Get Customers to Stop Calling You--12 Easy Ways to Save Money with Online Customer Support Despite rumors to the contrary, the Web is not dead. More people are using it, they have faster bandwidth, and in many cases Net-time is taking over TV- time. Five Ways To Wow Your Client Running a business is about providing goods and services to human beings. Their experience with you can make the difference between a good day, a terrible day, a nothing-special day, and a "WOW" day for them! Wouldn't you like to be the reason a client's day changes from boring to "WOW?"The benefits of this approach are good for everyone involved. How To Kick Your Customer Service Up A Notch! Welcome to the inaugural issue of Human Tech Tips -- Tip #1. How do we take your customer service and kick it up a notch?This is a big question so where do we begin?As an overview, it's a given that the answer is three-fold: People, Process, and Technology. 4 Tips Toward Overcoming Bad Customer Service Customer service is the pits, you say. You are not alone. Your Career Plan--Think Like A CEO You've been going 6-to-late; exhausted by running the supersonic treadmill of life and wish you had a different job. But you can't because you have no time and you're left spent at the end of every day. 6 Reasons Why Complaining Customers are Golden With Some Tips on How to RespondTt has probably happened to you if you own your own online business. You get an email or even a phone call from someone who is upset or unhappy with this or that about your business. Customers Who Rave About You and Your Service According to customer service studies by marketing gurus of the world, here are the following qualities, which must be present in your life and your business in order to develop raving fan customers who are not just satisfied but completely loyal to you over the long haul.1. You Bever Know Who Youre Serving You Never Know Who You're Serving when customers turn irate.I think of myself as a reasonable person. Wholesale Buyers Versus Retail Customers Are wholesale buyers and retail customers really different? Frankly, there are two answers to this question: yes and no. Yes, because they are different from the buyers and those selling to buyers' point of view and no, because the principles that apply are the same for both types of buying.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
