The Customer Authority

1. Tell a customer you can’t help them
2. Tell a customer it’s not your problem
3. Tell a customer it’s not your fault
4. Ignore a customer’s request
5. Don’t listen to what the customer has to say
6. Don’t repeat what the customer has to say
7. Devalue the customer’s opinion
8. Belittle the customer
9. Tell the customer they shouldn’t have done something
10. Tell a customer they are wrong
11. Don’t show empathy
12. Don’t apologize for a mistake or problem caused by you or the company
13. Act like the customer is bothering you or wasting your time
14. Unwilling to help
15. Seek advice of others if you don’t know the answer
16. Make excuses
17. Make promises you can’t keep
18. Put a customer on hold without telling them
19. Take a customer off hold without thanking them for waiting
20. Do less than what you know you can do
21. Give incorrect information
22. Lie
23. Blame the customer for the problem
24. Tell the customer you don’t care
25. Don’t thank the customer for their patience, time, understanding, etc

Hi Everyone!

You may have noticed “The Customer Authority” Blog was down for awhile today. I had some technical issues that couldn’t be fixed, so I made the decision to take the blog temporarily down and start all over again. I wasn’t able to post a notice before doing this, so I’m sorry for any inconveniences while trying to view the site!

I’m still in the process of getting everything re-established, but the main base of everything is here and ready to go – including all previous blogs. I should have everything completely finished by Monday.

Again – sorry for the mess and please continue to enjoy my blog!

Today marks the beginning of the “Best and Worst Customer Service Story” weekly feature!

I’ll be taking story submissions from readers based on your customer service experiences. Whether they’re good or bad – I want to hear them all! The best stories will be chosen weekly and featured each Wednesday. If you want to share your story, just go to the “SUBMIT YOUR STORIES” page and send your information to me!

Today’s story is from Sara Foltz from Atlanta, GA and is about the great customer service she received from Dyson. Enjoy!

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So I was trying to vacuum up the copious amounts of pet fur in my house and

a I realized that my vacuum had stopped sucking. (Normally, when something

sucks, you don’t use it, but not the vacuum). It’s the Dyson Animal vacuum,

a purple one, and I had only been in possession of it for about 7 months when

this incident occurred. The first plan of attack was to get out the instruction

manual and go through all of the troubleshooting. When none of that worked,

I called the customer service number; honestly not expecting much because of

previous telephone support experiences from other companies.

Right off the bat I was surprised because:

1. A real person answered the phone relatively quickly

2. They spoke English clearly and as a first language

3. I was not transferred to 8 different people

I spoke to one support representative and she walked me though all of the items

in the troubleshooting portion of the manual. I tried each of them again as she

provided additional detail as to why each check was important. When none of

that worked, she suggested something else regarding the bottom plate over the

brush. I look at the part and immediately realized that this was the problem. She

walked me through how to fix it and how the piece needed to go in to function

correctly. Her descriptions and patience with me were amazing. When the problem

was resolved I asked to speak to her manager so I could compliment her great

service. Everyone should be so lucky as to have this kind of telephone

customer service experience. Dyson ROCKS!

Have you ever met someone for the first time and instantly warmed up to them because they exuded a friendly personality? Or maybe they gave you a limp handshake which immediately turned you off as they averted eye contact and mumbled hello.

First Impressions Matter

Whether it’s the atmosphere of your store, the look and feel of your website, or the style of your customer service over the phone, people determine almost instantly if they like your company or not. If you’re first impression isn’t top notch, you might need to take a second look at how you’re presenting yourself. You want to make certain that your customer’s first experience with your business is above and beyond anything they were expecting.

Be Consistent

Consistency is another important factor regarding customer service. The more consistent you are in the service you provide, the more people will be willing to come back to you because they know they’ll be getting exactly what they want – as long as it’s good service that is. If your customer service is good one day, bad the next, your customers will become disenchanted and take their business elsewhere.

Get to Know Your Customers

Customers appreciate it when you take the time to know who they are and what they like. One of the best things I’ve enjoyed about using Amazon.com is they automatically track the types of products I typically purchase, and based on those orders, send helpful suggestions on other products I might like. While this is obviously a marketing tool to garner more sales, I actually enjoy it because I’ve found other items I might not have looked at before. In addition, little things such as how they welcome me back when I log on – “Welcome back, Michelle!” – And the useful storing of my information so I can check out quickly are bonuses I relish as a customer.

All of these things have one thing in common – quality. The level of quality you produce in your customer service will determine how well you do in the marketplace. If you’re concerned about the level of your service, or think you can do better, take a look at the areas just mentioned and see where you can possibly do more. Ask yourself questions such as:

• Does your business project a good first impression?

• Is your customer service consistent in all areas? (in store, on phone, online, etc)

• How well do you know your customers? How can you improve this?

• Does your business receive a lot of customer complaints? If so – what are they?

• Do your employees understand and follow CSE standards?

• Do your competitors provide better customer service than you? If so – in what areas? Why?

By taking a good hard look at your business, you can begin taking the next steps to advancing your customer service excellence.

Today you’ll notice a couple of new items I’ve linked to this blog to make your life easier as well as to expand your mind.

The first main thing I’ve added is a brand new job board! An advantage to employers and job seekers alike, you can link to the job postings board from any page on this site. Just click on one of the various NEW JOBS buttons you’ll see scattered through-out the pages, or just click on the JOB BOARD button in the Content Bar to link there.

Employers can also post their job ads in the same locations by clicking on the “POST JOBS” button. The biggest advantage to you: you’ll have a direct job board site you can post your ad on that is catered specifically to job seekers who are looking for jobs in your particular industry. In addition, you can do it at a fraction of the cost you’d be paying on other known job listing sites such as Monster.com and Career Builder. But since The Customer Authority Job Board is powered by Simply Hired, your job posting will still be seen by thousands of job seekers.

The second new item I’ve added for your convenience is a RECOMMENDED BOOKS section in the sidebar. Here you’ll be able to look at my recommended Customer Service and Marketing books that could potentially help in your pursuit of sky-rocketing your company’s success. Each link takes you directly to Amazon.com where you can learn more about each book’s contents, see reviews, and purchase at your convenience.

So take a look around and check out the new changes!

Before we begin, take a moment and think about the top ten companies who, in your opinion, have the best customer service out of all others. Got it? Ok. Now think of the top ten companies you think have the worst customer service.

You probably were able to come up with the companies with the worst service a lot easier than you could the best, am I correct? Of course I am.

That’s because it’s a lot simpler to remember the bad that happens to us instead of the good. If you’ve been slighted in any way – especially if you’re one to hold a grudge – you’re automatically going to remember the experience. Not only that, but you’re ten times more likely to tell others about your bad experience than your good one.

And THAT, my friends, is why Customer Service Excellence should be important to you!

If a customer receives poor service at your place of business, you can guarantee he or she is going to tell their friends about it. And Word of Mouth on bad service can spread like wildfire, ultimately destroying your reputation and possibly even your chances of success.

On the other hand, a customer who’s not only satisfied with the service they experienced, but their expectations were far surpassed in a positive way, will almost certainly return to your store or site again and again.

Which brings us back to the creation of this blog. I’m here to ensure that never happens to you, because I whole-heartedly believe in the power of Customer Service Excellence. I guarantee if you take the advice and lessons you learn about throughout this blog, you’ll be well on your way to leading your business into great prosperity.

*Be sure to check out my next blog which expands on this subject – “More Reasons Why Customer Service Excellence Should Be Important To You”*