You can find tons of advice on what to do for good customer service. There are customer service gurus, training classes and online courses.
There are some things that are much harder to find: What not to do for good customer service results. Here are the top 10 things not to do for good customer service results.
Don’t raise your voice.
Never raise your voice. Anytime there is a conflict with a customer, the moment you raise your voice, you lose. This is actually much harder to follow, just remember that you are there to accommodate the customer with whatever he or she has a problem with. You should always remain calm, keep your voice even and be polite. The more difficult it gets, the more calm cool and collected.
Never use curse words.
This is another of those points where you will automatically lose. Resorting to such measures not only imply that you have lost control of the situation at hand but it ultimately means that you have failed to address or resolve the issue at hand. All you really need to do is remember that ultimately it is your establishment. Nothing can really happen without your permission.
Don’t argue with the customer.
Allow the customer to air out his problem and just listen to what he or she wants. Not only will this give you a clear idea of the situation you are going to be dealing with but it will also allow the customer to calm down because someone is listening.
Never bother arguing. First off, if you argue, you are already making it clear that there is room to negotiate. Secondly, you will only end up wasting your time and not getting anywhere.
Don’t ignore messages and client needs.
Ignoring your customer has to be the number one reason that customer service goes bad. When you are handling negative customer feedback, never ignore the customer, regardless of how awkward or difficult a conversation. It’s like ripping off a bandage; pull it off all at once.
Never go by your gut.
Almost every business owner thinks that they and their staff give great customer service. That’s not possible. Somebody, somewhere is giving bad customer service. You need to be able to see what you have done well. Mindshare Reporting is a great example of how new technologies are able to make your customer service successes and failures obvious and actionable.
Never stop asking.
Never stop asking your customers what they think. The problem for most business owners is that they don’t want the bad news. That means that they only ever hear the good news. This is where a company like Mindshare can be invaluable. Since they do the asking and the calculating, it help to take some of the emotion out of the process.
Bonus: Never stop trying.
Giving up on great customer service is a sure way to give terrible customer service. Every morning, you need to remind yourself that no matter what else you think your job is, you are in the customer service business.