A paradox customer service experts learn early on (expert = you)

There’s one central paradox that experts in customer service discover early on. (And by “expert in customer service” I mean everyone who learns, day to day, the lessons available to us from customers: Those often wonderful, often frustrating human beings who keep us in business.  By “expert,” in other words, I mean, in all likelihood, you.)

Here’s the paradox in question:  The people who look like your worst customers may in fact be your best customers.

• Who returns the most stuff?  The customers who buy even more stuff than they return.

• Which customers find (and bitch to you about) the typos and dead links on your website? The customers who care about your website.

• Which diner lets you know the butter is too hard to spread?  The one who actually cares about the meal she’s about to eat.  (And who will likely return to dine with you again and again if you’ll take the time now to find her some butter that has been brought to a human-friendly temperature, and do so in a way that shows caring and interest in this “troublesome” guest.)

Business would be a lot less trouble without customers. There is absolutely no question about this.  But as Zorba remarked in Kazantzakis’ great novel, life means loosening your belt and looking for trouble.

Or, at least, in customer service, it means knowing the good that trouble can represent.

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Micah Solomon, author of “High-Tech, High-Touch Customer Service“, is the business keynote speaker, author, and customer service consultant termed by the Financial Post ”a new guru of customer service excellence.” Solomon offers speaking and consulting on customer service issues, the customer experience, and company culture — and how they fit into today’s marketing and technology landscape. An entrepreneur and business leader, he previously coauthored the bestselling “Exceptional Service, Exceptional Profit“.

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See Micah in action — including video and free resources — at https://micahsolomon.com. Or, click here for your own free chapter  of Micah’s new book,  High-Tech, High-Touch Customer Service (AMACOM Books) and Micah’s #1 bestseller, Exceptional Service, Exceptional Profit: The Secrets of Building a Five-Star Customer Service Organization———————————————————–

“Micah Solomon conveys an up-to-the minute and deeply practical take on customer service, business success, and the twin importance of people and technology.” –Steve Wozniak, Apple co-founder

© 2013 Micah Solomon.  Portions of this post may also  have appeared in Micah’s previously published work.