Customers are apt to forgive most anything over time - but a few things they will rarely forget:
- Arrogance and rudeness - in voice, tone, access, or by any other means. People may like your product but hate your attitude. Good product + bad attitude = no sale.
- Overcharging or inaccurate billing - I hear that a certain big phone company has the best cell coverage in my town. I will never use them because they refused to remove a bogus charge from my lowly land line as college student. That $72 really hurt, meant a lot, and inconvenienced me. I shall never forget nor forgive. Add your similar story here.
- Dishonesty or hidden data - even in the most small detail. You can be legally correct but customer may see your responses as half truth and misleading.
- Lack of communication- ignoring them and getting back many hours or days later. Not following up as expected is often a top 5 reputation breaker. I have driven off from more than one food drive-through because no one seemed to be there. I had better things to do and after saying "hello?" twelves times gave my seven bucks to their competitor down the block.
- Making them look bad in front of friends, family, colleagues, management, and their own customers. If you diminish, demean, or lesson them in the least way there is hell to pay. This is not just among insecure and easily wounded persons - none of us likes playing the fool.
- Wrong or late delivered stuff. Everything from unwanted pickles on a Whopper to missing circuit boards we need for our $28 million sales presentation.
And those things a customer does not forget, they are more likely to make us pay for, either in reduced business, harmful gossip, or excessive demands when the next contract or order is presented.
We can probably boil down the unpardonables to Six Customer Service Control Points:
- Make the customer happy, proud, with healthy ego, replete with high self esteem, enthusiastic, fulfilled.
- Make the customer look smart, informed, and competent.
- Make the customer good money or loaded with value.
- Make the customer highly informed, all knowing, and when possible an expert.
- Make the customer feel in control, aided by familiar, friendly partners, quality assurances, and reliable guarantees.
- Make the customer comfortable, relaxed, and with as little stress as the transaction can require.
Copyright 2013. Laurence C. Hatch. All Rights Reserved.
Please visit www.laurencehatchpress.com for ordering the entire book
