7 Do's and Don'ts in Customer Service

Based on a personal experience last Wednesday with an airline, I thought I would offer a do/don't list for customer service.

1. DO Explain The Problem
If your company is experiencing any problem that might or will affect your customers, let them know as soon as you can and begin the rest of the steps. Do not leave it to your customers to discover the problem on their own and seek your help.

2. DO Offer Suggestions
Once your customer has been made aware of the problem, give them all the suggestions you can think of to help remedy the situation, not just the ones you think are the best. You have no way of knowing your customer's preferences and can cause more headaches this way.

3. DO Offer Solutions Before Your Customer Has To Ask And/Or Drag Them Out Of You
Do not force your customer to ask you what to do to solve a problem, especially if it was caused by your company. You should be offering solutions for them long before they decide you are not helpful and they have to ask for help.

4. DON'T Act Like Your Customers Are An Inconvenience
Yes, customers can make your life harder and more difficult at times or even all the time. But, where would you be without them?

5. DON'T Talk Down To Your Customers
Nothing makes people angrier than being made to feel inferior. Yes, some people need things explained in simpler ways than others. Even then, do not use any tone of voice or facial expressions that are condescending or plainly insulting.

6. DON'T Complain About Your Job/Coworkers/Competitors
You have had a bad day. Customers might actually care about your personal life, but probably not, and probably not if they are still waiting for you to solve their problem. My very first job I learned that it is okay to come to work in a bad mood and with problems, but leave it at the door for when you leave work.

7. DON'T Ignore Your Customers
Dealing with angry/annoyed people is exhausting. Being angry and annoyed is exhausting as well. Do not leave your customers until some solution, at least temporary, has been agreed upon. This could even include passing them off to someone else as long as you don't act like you are getting rid of smelly garbage. Let them know you are letting someone else assist them because that is the most helpful thing for them, and you only want to help.

*This does not have to be true. Maybe you just need to walk away and scream before you throw something at them. That's okay, just don't let the customer know!*

The next blog will be a do/don't list for consumers dealing with customer service agents and will be based on the outcomes of my experiences last week.