3 Ways not to Suck at Customer Service
Comments By Bob Aldons - Northstar Motor Group
I read this last night and thought I'd share. Customer service, or lack of, frustrates our customers or potential customers no end. Here are 3 basic steps to START the journey towards outstanding customer service. This article comes from a US company called Motor Age Training - a division of National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence http://www.ase.com
We listen to millions of recorded calls every single year. And we routinely hear utterly terrifying customer service. We've written extensively on improving customer service. We wrote an eBook called Bad Customer Service: The Silent Killer that details, very specifically, how to improve customer service now. But after reviewing hordes of calls, this eBook may be too advanced for some people. It is customer service calculus and what many in Australia (apparently) need is customer service Kindergarten alphabet. Here are three basic, simple and absolute minimum customer service requirements that everyone can, should and must do (but most don't):
1) Be Nice - It sounds simple. It is simple. And yet, many people simply aren't nice to customers. In several calls we hear customers asking basic questions and customer service reps getting very annoyed. We hear customers simply wanting to buy a product or get information about a product, and then the employee sounds genuinely irritated.
It is stunning. So, if you want to stand out from the crowd, if you want to follow basic standards of customer service, just be nice.
2) Ask Questions - Most customer service people don't ask questions. I am stunned when I listen to so-called customer service calls when the employee fails to even ask questions necessary for the most basic level of customer service.
3) Take Time - Most of the customer service calls we hear sound rushed. This is true of large call centres, small businesses, hotels, tyre shops, automotive repair shops and heavy manufacturing. Bad customer service doesn't discriminate. Most employees at most businesses sound like they're in a hurry when they're on the phone. They consistently refer the caller to a website or to a brochure. What?!!? You have them on the phone! Why would you refer them to anything else? It literally makes no sense.
If you want to offer a basic level of customer service, at least take the time to get to know the customer and answer their questions. Why hurry?







