THE TOP 10 MISTAKES EMPLOYEES MAKE WITH CUSTOMERS
by Rebecca Morgan
In 20 years of conducting customer service training, Rebecca Morgan has observed many “sins” of customer contact personnel. Most of the problems are easily corrected once the staff is aware they're doing something wrong. However, managers or owners might not even be aware of what is being said to the customers, so they don't know what needs to be corrected. In this document, Morgan acts as your ears and eyes and reports on some common mistakes, and how you can correct them.
1. TAKING THE CUSTOMER FOR GRANTED
It's all too common for employees to forget the expected niceties: “Good morning,” “How can I help you?” “Let me check for you,” “Thank you,” “We appreciate your business.” Customers have come to expect these phrases, delivered sincerely, when they're purchasing something. A quick way to make customers go away is to take them for granted and stop showing that you appreciate them. Make it clear to your staff that you expect them to show politeness and appreciation toward customers. Give them some leeway on how to express this, so that they don't sound like robots. If they go a bit too far — “Hiya, dude!” — reel them in by telling them what you'd prefer them to pay.
2. USING JARGON
Don't expect the customer to understand your lingo. Even customers who are highly trained professionals might not be familiar with acronyms or buzzwords. If your company deals with consumers, don't assume that they understand industry talk. For example, when an insurance professional says “binder,” the term means something entirely different than the image the consumer conjures up, which is usually a three-ring binder! Listen closely to what your people are saying. Or ask someone who doesn't know your business to call and talk to your people. Get them to tell you how they were treated and what words your people used that were confusing.
3. SPEAKING TOO FAST
A customer repeatedly asking staff members to repeat themselves is a sign that employees are speaking too quickly. When the employee slows down, they need to make sure that their tone won't be interpreted as condescending. The reason the customer is asking for the information is not because they're dumb: They might just be unfamiliar with what your employee is saying. So make sure that employees slow it down.
4. GIVING SHORT, CLIPPED ANSWERS
Employees who say “Yes” instead of “Yes, let me look that up for you,” or “Yes, we do have that in stock,” can come across as unfriendly and curt. Adding a few more words to amplify the point makes a friendly impression. When you hear your employees giving short answers, pull them aside afterwards and help them understand how customers cam interpret these answers negatively. Suggest that employees add a few more words to their answers to show that they're friendly and interested in making the customer feel appreciated.
5. NOT BEING PROACTIVE WHEN A PROBLEM ARISES
When a customer initiates a call about a problem, they become even angrier when they learn that your company knew about the problem, but didn't notify them immediately. Train your people to call customers as soon as they're aware of a problem. It's not always a pleasant call to make, but it's far more pleasant than when the customer calls first.
6. NOT APPEARING TO CARE ABOUT THE CUSTOMER'S COMPLAINT
Customer contact staff often don't show that they care about a customer's concern, or might even get defensive when a customer complains. If it's a common complaint, they might've become callused because they've heard it so often. Or perhaps there's nothing that they can do about the issue. If they even acted as if they cared, many problems would be resolved more quickly and the customer would feel that your business was concerned about them.
7. PREOCCUPATION WITH OTHER TASKS
Don't let your staff focus on other tasks — talking with co-workers, paperwork, and so forth — at the expense of serving customers. Train them to notice what's going on around them. Teach them to look up from what they're doing frequently, and approach customers who might look puzzled or lost. This is a great way to improve the customer's impression of your service.
8. NOT HEARING THE CUSTOMER OUT
After working in a customer contact position for a while, you can begin to predict what customers will ask or complain about. This makes it all too easy to cut them off in mid-sentence when they're trying to ask or explain something. Remind your people that each customer wants to be heard out, not cut off. This will help build a positive relationship with the customer.
9. JUDGING THE CUSTOMER'S BUYING POWER BASED ON EXTERNALS
Because buyers come in all levels of dress and education, it's not wise to assume their buying ability. Employees sometimes make these judgments because the customer's company has never bought much in the past. Help your employees see that these assessments hurt your company, and aren't fair to the customer.
10. ARGUING WITH THE CUSTOMER
You can't win an argument with a customer. Even if you win, you lose the customer. When the customer is wrong, there are ways to let them know this without throwing it in their face. Role play with your staff common circumstances in which the customer might be wrong, but is trying to blame your company. Help them work out how to phrase their explanation so the customer leaves with their dignity intact, rather than being embarrassed and angrier.
Heading off these 10 common customer contact mistakes isn't easy. It takes vigilance, caring and time. Help your staff see new ways to interact with customers, while leaving them with their self-esteem. It's easy to yell and berate your staff. It's harder to coach them in such a way that they want to improve.
Rebecca L. Morgan, CSP, CMC, is a professional speaker and seminarist. She is the author of four books, TurboTime: Maximizing Your Results Through Technology, Calming Upset Customers, Life's Lessons: Insights and Information for a Richer Life, and Professional Selling. For information on her speaking services, books, and tapes contact her at 1440 Newport Ave., San Jose, CA 95125, (408) 998-7977; (800) 247-9662, fax (408) 998-1742, e-mail [email protected], or www.RebeccaMorgan.com. Reproduced, with permission, from Independent Agent magazine.