Think Positive, Be Positive, Do Positive

LAST week we discussed communicating in customer service and the focus was on telephone conversations. This week we will discuss some of the “don’ts” in customer service. All of the areas we will discuss today have one factor in common – negativity. In customer service, we should always have a pleasant and positive disposition. Many may ask the question, why should we? If I am in a bad mood, why should I try to portray a good one? Customer service representatives should always be positive, because they make or lose a service transaction with customers. There are several phrases that customer service representatives use that can be rephrased and said in a more polite and helpful manner. Customers, on the receiving end, can become upset, feel dissatisfied and take their business somewhere else. This is not the reaction any business or organisation wants. Losing customers means lost in revenue for the company. Businesses need to emphasise the importance of customer service, so that their employees understand the need for excellent customer service. Customer service is now a necessity for any business, especially those that are service oriented.

As a customer, while shopping, if you are interested in a product and you need additional information, have you encountered a sales person or customer service representative who was not interested in assisting? Who used the infamous line “I don’t know’? Or who did not show any interest in attempting to find out from anyone else to assist you? This is a regular occurrence, customer service representatives do not feel any sense of commitment to their jobs or to customers to go beyond the call of duty to ensure that customers are fully satisfied.

The most negatively used word is ‘no’ and this is no different in the customer service industry. Customer service representatives think that it is accepted to just say ‘no’ to customers and let them leave. A customer leaving a business translates to business lost and never being able to regain it.  ‘No’ is not an option or it should be seldomly used. In some situations, it is inevitable to use the word no, but that should be the last resort. The focus should be on helping customers and what you can do for them. So instead of saying a pointed ‘no’, the representative or sales person can offer an alternative option for the customer. Thus, offering to check when the product will be restocked, offering an alternative product or offering to call the customer as soon as the business has the product they are looking for.

Another catch phrase that is commonly heard is ‘that’s not my job’. When a customer needs assistance and asks a representative for help, if it is not within that representatives’ department, they quickly say ‘that’s not my job’. Is it acceptable to just say that to a customer? Do you leave the customer to go in search of someone who can assist them? Or find someone who will make it their business to help the customer? What would it cost you to find someone who can offer assistance? A minute to make a call to another department?
Instead of saying ‘that’s not my job’, you can tell the customer where he/she has to go or who to look for.

‘I am busy right now’, or ‘can’t you see I am assisting another customer?’, do these phrases sound familiar? They roll off the tongue of customer service representatives very naturally. Customers will interpret that as meaning, ‘why are you bothering me’. It is difficult for a customer service representative to stop in the middle of helping one customer to assist another. It is also a very rude and disrespectful practice to do it. However, there are more polite ways to let customers know you are assisting another customer. Sales persons or customer service representatives can simply say ‘I’ll be with you in just a moment’.

Customer service representatives, sometimes do not understand the magnitude of what they are saying. Employers need to pay keen attention to their employees and ensure that they treat their customers ‘like kings and queens’. Customer service reflects the invisible profits of a business because, many persons may come to your business because of the excellent customer service they receive, and likewise they can stop patronising you because the customer service is poor. Poor customer service reflects that the business is not interested in catering to the needs of the customers. If customers sense this, they will not spend their money at your business. Thus, employers need to ensure that their employees offer good customer service always.

(Nadine King and Tameca Sukhdeo-Singh can be contacted via email at: cru@networksgy.com)