These 6 Common Customer Service Practices Do More Harm Than Good
1. (Retail) Greet customers the moment they walk in a store
Variations of the “ten-feet-ten-seconds” rule had been a staple of retail for decades. But this really isn’t a good idea.
Retail researcher Paco Underhill tells us that all stores have a customer ‘landing strip.’ This is a dead zone of sorts – that first few seconds where customers are busy acclimatizing to the environment. Jumping in to say “Hi” when customers are in the landing zone will actually make customers uncomfortable. It can also trigger the reflexive response of “just looking,” which, as every retailer knows, is code for “Leave me alone.”
2. Starting with “What seems to be the problem?”
When a customer calls and says, “I’m having a problem,” responding with things like, “What kind of problem are you having?” just seems to make sense. It turns out that these actually shouldn’t be the first words you say to a customer.
Don’t get me wrong, it is definitely an important question to ask, but the better response is to first say, “Oh no – let’s see what we can do to fix it.” – then you can follow up with the question about the problem.
The first rule of service recovery – when a customer isn’t happy with a product, service or situation – is to make it very clear that you care. This simple change in your first response sends that message, and will immediately reduce any negative emotions your customer may be experiencing, and minimize the risk of escalation.
3. Treat the customer as you would like to be treated
Treating customers the way we would like to be treated is one of the four myths of customer service, and the practice can backfire more often than it works.
Not all people like to be treated the same way. A better approach is to treat customers the way they would like to be treated.
4. Don't admit that you don't know
Some people will tell you that you should never admit not knowing something
Nonsense.
Quite the opposite is true. In fact, there are few better ways to earn a customer’s trust than to say something like: “Wow, that is a great question, and I actually don’t know the answer to it. Can you give me a moment to look into it? I want to make sure I get this right for you.”
5. Work faster
Whether you are a cashier with a lineup, a customer service representative with a long telephone queue, or in an office with a gigantic pile on your desk, the natural impulse is to just put your head down and plow through. Big mistake.
When I see this happening, I find myself quoting my late mother-in-law: “Too much hurry, not enough speed.”
Try doing these instead:
a. When customers can see you
When customers can see you, as in the situation with a cashier, the best thing to do is to take a nanosecond to look up at the people in line, smile and say something like, “I’ll get to you soon, I promise!” You will be amazed at how much more patient people will become.
b. When you’re on the phone
If you’re on the phone with a long queue, focus on getting it right instead of doing it quickly. This prevents mistakes and escalations.
c. When you’re providing internal customer service
If you have a high workload, and your coworkers have deadlines, the best thing you can do is manage expectations by keeping everyone up to date. Communication helps to prevent unwelcome surprises and angry colleagues.
6. Don't take complaints personally
The traditional advice of “Don’t take it personally” when facing an upset customer doesn’t work for two reasons. The first is that an emotional response to someone being upset is part of our human physiology. It is quite natural. We can’t just ‘turn it off,’ without at the same time turning off our humanity.
The second reason is that it is completely counterproductive to have customers perceive that we don’t care. We should take it personally that one of our customers isn’t happy. That’s a big part of taking ownership.
When someone is upset, the best strategy is to put yourself in their shoes and channel your emotion into empathy.
