The worst customer service ever

Micah Solomon Live Keynote (8 minute video)
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Tell me if you’ve noticed this too. Irony of ironies, the most frustrating customer service encounters often happen at companies that think their service is the bee’s knees:

• Certain grand hotels.

• Particular local-legend restaurants.

• That boutique grocery on the corner.

The tricky problem here is that most customers are content, even happy, with the service at these institutions.  So when, out of the blue, a customer begs to differ, just watch the managerial knees as they jerk in defense of the status quo and how it’s being interpreted by employees.

But a customer has a far more intimate view of how employees are coming across than a manager ever will. As a manager, you do have intimate knowledge of your employees’ quirks, their family and personal issues, their dedication to the job. And you know that these folks, who work for you, are, unsurprisingly, nice enough to you.  But that doesn’t mean you know how they’re treating your customer – or, more to the point, how your customer perceives that treatment.

If a customer implies your employees are bureaucratic, unempathic, policy-driven, consider for a moment that it might be true. Believe what the customer in front of you is telling you, until proven otherwise.

The customer, and only the customer, is the customer.

Micah Solomon keynote speakerFrom Micah Solomon author, keynote speaker, consultant on customer service excellence, sales, branding, and transforming company cultures in our socially connected world.
 

See Micah in action — including video and free resources — at https://micahsolomon.com. Or, click here for your own free chapter  of Micah Solomon’s customer service bestseller,” Exceptional Service, Exceptional Profit: The Secrets of Building a Five-Star Customer Service Organization.”