What customers despise!

SOMETIMES I wonder if some customer service representatives and the companies they work for understand the frustrations of the customer.

The term “customer service” seems not to carry much meaning at times, but everyone says they have customer service people. What does that mean? Having them does not mean that the customer is being served well or even being served at all in some cases.

Recently, I had the pleasure of working with a gentleman who exemplified the customer service spirit. Granted I was an impatient, demanding customer, as my computer had just crashed with all my information, but this representative had all the techniques to empathize with me and then help resolve the issue.

Within that same day, I also encountered another gentleman who was obviously clueless about what customer service really means. He violated every customer service rule and more.

All the interactions occurred via telephone and it was amazing how different they were. As a reminder to all those who work in customer service, here are just some of the things that customers despise:

1. Customer not being greeted

2. Customer being argued with

3. Representative who seems aggravated by customer’s questions

4. Being left on hold for long periods

5. Not returning phone calls

6. Customers being assailed by eating or chewing gum while being helped

7. Long lines

8. Customer profiling (the picking and choosing of whom to serve)

9. Representatives who answer a business phone as if it’s their personal line

10. No sense of urgency to expedite tasks

11. Sloppy appearance

12. Being ignored by customer service reps

13 Rep chatting to other colleagues

14 Talking on their personal cell phone.

Karen Hinds is “The Workplace Success Expert.” For a FREE SPECIAL REPORT on Avoiding Career Killers in the Workplace, send an email to info@workplacesuccess.com

Visit online at www.workplacesuccess.com