This is an obvious statement but for purposes of this article I must say it. We are all somebody’s customer and someone’s customer service provider. Now that we have that established, we agree that we have walked in each other’s shoes. 

I am on no one’s side. There are customers who are terribly cruel and others who make it all worth while. There are customer service representatives who are also really good and others who are an embarrassment to the profession.

The important thing to remember though is that the relationship between the customer and  the customer service rep (CSR) is just an exchange.It’s a precarious relationship but it seems to have turned into a game of the offense vs. the defense. WE’RE PLAYING FOR THE SAME TEAM!

CSRs – lets talk!  

This job is NOT for everyone, nor is it an entry level position! You are the first face/voice your customer sees. In case no one has told you,  You are so important. The customer is going to judge everything about the business just by their interaction with you. You will take abuse. You’ll deliver a lot of bad news. You’ll also grown to care about your clients. You have to be strong and have a great deal of patience. You’ll need compassion and  passion for this work.

If you don’t LOVE customer service, this job is NOT for you! Please – find something else to do. 

There are HUNDREDS of consultants who make excellent money teaching and drilling CSRs on skills to handle the most challenging customers and questions. There are services who offer to cleanse negative posts from places like Yelp and Angie’s List. I have no idea what their secret is. All I have to say is those ratings must be pretty important. 

Customers:

Psst!  Do you want to know a secret? Your customer service representative wants nothing more than for you to be happy. Most likely they’d like to help you achieve that but a happy customer is a nice customer.

It doesn’t matter what type of customer service – each one of these people have to manage some very angry customers. CSR’s get called horrible things often. They receive threats. They are spoken to in some of the most awful ways. No matter what is said to them, they are NEVER allowed to lose their cool. They must maintain their words, tone etc.   And when things get out of hand they will spend the rest of their day trying to figure out what went wrong.  

I know the answer to that could be something like waa waa waaaa! Grow a thicker skin and do your job!

But here’s the thing – WE’RE GETTING IT ALL WRONG! – All of us!

It’s not about how bad the service was.

It’s not about how the customer was rude and not very understanding.

This is about 2 parties each have a goal and neither are getting their needs met.

You will get much more out of your service person if you speak to them calmly and avoid swearing or calling them names. The friendlier you are, the more likely you are to help come up with solutions to your concerns, the better the help will be. In fact your representative will then look forward to being able to help you in the future. They will often think of creative ways to make your order, concern or whatever a priority (especially over someone who just threatened them). 

As a person who worlds in the customer service field and offers constructive suggestions when I see opportunities for improvement, I have found something that works well for me. Here’s my method:

1. Each day I read a list what it means to have a positive  attitude. I happened to take mine from a book called Customer Satisfaction is Worthless written by one of my heroes, Jeffrey Gitomer. On page 209 there’s a list of things to remember in order to stay positive. I read it daily. 
2. I promise myself to do the best job possible. The transaction between the customer and the CSR is a contract. Of course, it’s only partly about the customer. It’s also about the employer as well.  For me the reason to do my best is for my own sense of pride. I like helping people and I love feedback saying I made someone else’s life better. for me to do the best I possibly can is for my own personal pride.   
3. I know how I like to be treated when I’m a customer. And most importantly I like to be treated honestly and with respect. I like to feel like my business matters. Whether I’m a customer or a CSR I remember that I’m no better than anyone else. I’m no less than anyone either. 
4. If we took the words customer and CSR out of the equation we would have narrowed the title down to down to two people working out a problem. That’s it. With that being said, it’s also a chance to meet a lot of cool people from different walks of life. It’s also a chance to hear stories and be part of humanity. It’s a chance to give back. It’s a chance to teach someone how to do their job better. BUT IT’S NOT A FOOTBALL GAME.

If you would like better customer service, treat your CSR well. If you would like better customers listen to their concerns. Yes, some call defensive (mainly because they think that’s the only way to get what they need). 

Everybody Can Get What They Need!!

 

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