In Customer Service, Attitude is Everything

By James A. Baker
Founder
Baker Communications

In this column, we address customer service skills and issues all the time, but it is pretty unusual that I spend a lot of time personally interacting with CSRs. However, recently, I ended up having customer service conversations with two major US companies about two separate issues on the same day. I have to confess, these experiences leave me convinced that we still have a lot of work to do when it comes to customer service.

Early in the morning of “the day in question,” I discovered a problem with an online transaction where it seemed pretty clear to me that this company’s software system had experienced some kind of glitch that dropped a transaction off my account and cost me money. After wading through the annoying gauntlet of call routing queries, I finally was able to speak to a live person. I calmly, carefully explained what had happened – focusing primarily on the fact that the software had inexplicably dropped my transaction. Then I suggested that the company owed me a reimbursement, to which the live person replied, “No we don’t.”

I was a little bit stunned. I know this major US company very well, and I know that they spend huge amounts of money training customer service reps – their whole business revolves around customer service – yet, instead of offering empathy or making any attempt to clarify or understand my issue – this person jumped straight to NO! I spent the next five minutes trying to explain the unique nature of the transaction failure, and all he would say in return was that I accepted a risk by doing business on their site and they couldn’t be held responsible if something went wrong! Of course, the more emphatic I got, the more defensive he got. Finally, I asked to speak to his escalation manager, to which he replied, “Fine with me, but he is just going to tell you the same thing.”

As it turned out, the manager did not tell me the same thing. He listened carefully, he clarified the situation, he expressed empathy, he remarked that this was indeed an unusual situation that he had never encountered before, and he lined out a solution which I am now pursuing. Even though I didn’t actually come away from the call with my account credited back, I felt like I had been heard and that I at least had a plan for solving my problem.

Before ending my call, I calmly and professionally explained to the manager how I had been treated by his CSR, not to be a tattle tale but to point out an opportunity for extra coaching. He expressed appreciation and assured me that their CSRs are not trained to behave that way. Still, it makes me wonder what kind of ongoing coaching and supervision they get after they receive their initial training. If I hadn’t been savvy enough to ask for the escalation manager, I would definitely be shopping around for a new company to do business with right now.

Then, later in the day, I called one of the leading computer manufacturer/retailers in the world to enquire about a special offer I received from them. First of all, I stayed in the sales queue for almost 30 minutes, which is maddening, but I was able to work on other projects while I was waiting, so I put up with it. However, when I finally spoke with a rep, his attitude was anything but enthusiastic or welcoming. He seemed not to even be aware of the promotional offer I – and several hundred thousand other - people had received, and when I asked him if it might be possible to add several customized options to the equipment in this offer, his attitude was one of pure disinterest, along the lines of, “Yeah, I guess, whatever.” His answers were brief, almost monosyllabic, and not only did he not know the answers to a couple of my questions, he didn’t offer to put me on hold and find out. After spending 30 minutes on hold, this treatment did not put me in the mood to make a purchase. I have already gotten quotes from two other companies.

If your business lives or dies according to a customer service model – and these days, who doesn’t? – it is imperative that you concentrate on doing the little things to keep your customer base satisfied and loyal. Times are hard on everyone, and when you have a customer on the line who has hard cash to spend, you absolutely can not afford to offend them because of poor attitudes from a person who represents your company. Both of the companies I talked to that day clearly understand this; they have very intensive CSR training programs, but obviously some reps are slipping through the cracks.

If you don’t want to lose anymore customers because of poor CSR attitudes, plan extra coaching sessions right now with your reps, and emphasize:

1. Every customer must be greeted warmly, enthusiastically, and professionally.
2. Reps must listen carefully and patiently to customer concerns.
3. Reps must clarify and confirm the customer concern. and offer empathy or apologize for any inconvenience the customer is experiencing, even if it is probably not the company’s fault.
4. The rep must make a sincere effort to solve the customer’s problem.
5. The rep should never say “NO we can’t help you;” instead, the rep must explain options regarding what can be done, even if those options don’t include the customer’s preferred solution.
6. At all times, the rep must communicate that he is going beyond the call of duty to meet the customer’s needs as best he can.

Teach this, train on this, and regularly conduct reinforcement coaching on this, and you will keep your customers coming back. They don’t always expect you to give them exactly what they want, but they do expect that you will act like you care about them by understanding their situation and doing whatever you can to address their problem.

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March Customer Service Quick Tip of the Month – Don’t Forget D.A.V.E.

To provide customer service that will grow loyal customers year after year, just remember DAVE.

D – Dependability. Don’t promise what you can’t deliver; always deliver what you promise.
A – Assurance. Keep all your customer dealings at the highest level of integrity. This builds trust and puts the customer at ease with you and your company.
V. – Value. Of course, the bottom line is that the customer wants a product or service that meets his needs and performs at level that meets or exceeds his expectations. You can’t keep good customers by selling bad products.
E – Empathy. In all his dealings with you, the customer wants to see ample evidence that you care about his situation, understand his problem, and respect his right to be heard and well-served.
Follow DAVE’s lead and your customers will follow you, too.