Skip to main content

BEHAVING BADLY : CUSTOMER SERVICE / SALES REPS

By

I have seen quite a number of badly behaved customer service / front line employees:

1. Telling the customer more than they need to know: I once witnessed a customer walk into a financial organization to the customer service personnel.  This was the exchange.
Customer: Good morning.
Staff: Morning love
Customer : (Sits down)  How are you?
Staff: Not doing too good love.  How can I help you?
Customer : (Taken aback) okay... I need to open an account.  What do I need to provide? 
Staff: Please, hold on a minute let me check (opens a folder on the table,  searching for something). Can't find it... Where did I keep it?  So disorganized and unhappy this morning but not your fault. Smiles woodenly at the customer who uncomfortably smiles back. (mutters under her breathe) Don't understand my boss. Stupid old man.  Ha! Found it!  (triumphantly brings out an account form and hands it to the customer). There you go.
Customer: This says 'current account'. I need a savings account form please. 

Staff: (frowns)  Madam,  why didn't you say so before? Have to start the entire search again. You have to hold on.

(At this point, another staff whispers something to her)

You guys will not be the death of me. Please tell him I am busy.  Don't have time for rubbish. (mutters under her breathe but the customer is privy to this soliloquy)  I am tired of this company please. How much is my monthly salary? ...

At this point,  the customer cannot wait to leave. 

Customer : Please how much longer do I have to wait for the form? 

Staff: (glares at the customer with a forced smile)  Apologies madam.  You can see I am trying to get the right form after you changed your mind. Please be patient. 

At this point, next in line,  my attention is called upon to meet with the next agent and missed out on the rest of the exchange but I do know the customer was still seated, and looked displeased,  while I was on my way out of the building. 

How does this type of attitude in your front line employees impact on your business? What are its effect on the customer's perception of your organization? Long term effect?  Short term?  None at all?  Why does this happen?  Cause and effect.  How this can be avoided?

Your front line staff are more powerful than the most expensive ad placement on any platform.  Get your staffing right,  get your business right. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A BRAND PROMISE: DELIVERING THE BASICS TO THE CUSTOMER

By
What drives a customer’s decision to patronize a brand is the confidence in that brand. The brand in turn needs to be adept at meeting the fundamental expectations of your customer before striving to provide extraordinary loyalty - building customer service .  This will give the customer satisfaction, creating a good experience and the beginning of the journey towards a loyal relationship. Every customer’s confidence in companies can be fragile; one mistake and customers, without hesitation, are ready to patronize another business after broadcasting his/ her displeasure on social media to his/ her network of friends/ followers. Often problems occur because companies don’t deliver on what their brand promises state they will do. In other words, they fail to keep their promises. Promises made by companies are different but centre on the same basic expectations which define the customer’s experience and ultimately, the customer’s relationship with your brand: · ...
Post a Comment
Read more

CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENT

By
In every sentence made by organizations today,  customer engagement is mentioned a few times to buttress how customer - centric the organizations thinks itself to be.  In the true sense of the word,  how engaging is your organization with its customers?  Does your organization walk the walk?   Customer engagement is not about listenin g to the customer, handling customer complaints and questions which can be said to be reactive to customers wants and needs at the point of a complaint, but organizations are becoming more proactive with the power shift in business - consumer relationship. As this shift occurs,  people have raised their expectations and grown less patient with companies that disappoint them or are failing to adapt to this evolving landscape of proactive customer relationship building.  Customer engagement requires building real relationships with your customers and understanding them fully as people and connecting with the...
Post a Comment
Read more