The Value of Customer Service

There are many people who still believe that the customer is always right. And while there is some truth to this statement, it is not entirely accurate either. Customer service is an important part of the success of any business, but should a business owner have to sacrifice his or her business for the sake of a customer who may be wrong or who may simply be trying to falsely accuse the business of something that it did or did not do right?

If you run an ice cream shoppe and your customers come in only to realize that half of the ice cream is freezer burned while the other half is almost completely melted and then on top of that, they complained about it, would they be wrong? Who do you point the finger at in that situation? What do you do about it? Sometimes a part of customer service involves sacrificing earnings in order to appease the customer. So, for instance, in that situation, you might give out free ice cream to the offended customers versus show them the door. In other instances, a restaurant owner might offer some other sort of compensation in the form of coupons or vouchers that the insulted customers can use in the future after the problem has been resolved.

Sometimes customer service calls on business owners to think outside of the box- to think creatively, if you will. It entails thinking like the customer, putting yourself in the shoes of someone else who might want to do business with you. In this regard, you need to anticipate what the other person's needs are so that you are prepared to more effectively deal with problems should they arise. It would be extremely naïve of a business owner to think that no problems would ever arise while their business is in operation. One way to tackle having more effective customer service is to gather some of the employees for a meeting in which you could brainstorm ideas to encourage more positive customer service interactions.

One of the main things that customers hate having to deal with are automated systems over the phone. By the time the customer has pushed every last button on the phone in order to reach an actual person, they are often exasperated and frustrated, which does not bode well for their overall customer service experience. While you may not be able to necessarily do anything about this, you can certainly learn how to speak to a customer so that your voice is even toned and as non-offensive as possible. I have known people who have had absolutely horrific customer service- even at the drive-thru window of a fast food restaurant! For example, some years ago, I was at a fast food drive-thru window as the passenger in one of my friend's cars. As we were waiting at the window, I listened to my friend give her order. While she was giving her order, the employee on the other end asked her several times to repeat her order and we could hear the employee laughing in the background with another employee (or employees). When my friend questioned the employee through the speaker at the drive-through as to why she had to repeat herself so many times, the employee's voice took on a strongly suggestive tone that indicated her negative attitude towards us. As she was talking, my friend drove around to the window and proceeded to tell the employee and her manager that her demeanor at the drive-through window was completely unprofessional. I cannot stress to you how important it is to learn and appreciate the value of customer service for this very reason! Any business is only as good as it's worst employee!

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