I’ve been in business for many years and I know my customer service is not perfect. Often I look back and see how I could have handled a situation differently and produced a better outcome for both the client and my business. However, as a consumer, it would be great if businesses could meet certain minimum standards when dealing with customers. Here are top 10 my suggestions:
1. Please remember I am the customer, paying to do business with you. I am not the enemy.
2. Please try not to put me on hold when I call. Please have enough call center employers to answer your phone. If this is not possible, please have a voice mail system so that I can have you call me back, rather than wasting my time on hold.
3. If I must be placed on hold when calling your business, please do not use that as an opportunity to blast a prerecorded commercial about your company in my ear. It is bad enough being on hold. Also keep in mind I may not share your musical tastes and won’t want loud music blared in my ear. Letting me wait in silence is okay, really!
4. If I have problem with your product or service. Please LISTEN to me when I tell you about it. Please do not make any excuses. I don’t care why you or your product didn’t meet my expectations; I just want you to offer to fix it. Please don’t be defensive, just fix the problem. Please do not ping pong me between departments and make me figure out on my own who should help me. Please know the best person or department to assist me and transfer me there.
5. Please honor your guarantees and warranties. Please do not try to squirm out of them. If fact, to actually gain and keep customers, consider extending them. Don’t blame me when the product fails. Do not grill me to see if I perhaps can be blamed.
6. If I walk into your store and ask for help finding something, please do not waive your arms in the vague direction I need to go. If you do not have time to take me there, say something helpful, like “it’s on aisle three”.
7. When I walk up to the cash register, please be there to take my money. Please do not make me hunt for you for the privilege of paying you.
8. When I walk up to the cash register, greet me. If you are on the phone, hang up. Make eye contact.
9. At the end of our transaction, THANK ME for my purchase. Do not force me to thank you for being willing to accept my money, just to avoid having a completely wordless transaction. If I do thank you, make an intelligible response, do not just grunt.
10. When working with customers, remember how you like to be treated. Isn’t it easier for all of us if businesses stop antagonizing the people that buy their products and services? Phone companies: that goes double for you!
