Lucky for the two of us, she missed. But such surreal encounters with angry customers leave one confounded. Granted, I was working in the North Shore of Chicago populated with suburbanites not known for their kindness or humility, but her actions were clearly out of line. Perhaps she was just having an extraordinarily bad day, and I happened to meet her at her boiling point. It happens. Businesses operate around one central rule: the customer is always right, even when employees (to their own peril) tell them otherwise.
But what if the equation is flipped and the customer is the one being treated with rudeness and disrespect? It happens more often than you might think, usually when the employee and customer perceive the same situation in very different terms. Regardless, there are certain things a customer service professional should never do, including the following:
1. Allowing a bad mood to affect treatment of customers: Bad moods and bad days are unavoidable facts of life, but whatever personal troubles may be lingering at home should be left there. They are not the customers’ problem.
2. Hanging up on customers: This is an unforgivable offense. Simply put, never ever hang up on a customer.
3. Failing to return phone calls or emails: This is an easy way to lose customers and build up a reputation as an unreliable business. Do the professional thing and return all messages as soon as possible.
4. Putting callers on hold without asking them first: It’s rude, unprofessional, and only makes a bad situation worse. Ask them politely, and they usually oblige.
5. Eating, drinking, or chewing gum while talking on the phone with clients: Unless you’re in junior high, you should know that this is unacceptable and can be easily picked up over the phone, which is essentially a microphone.
6. Taking on new calls while existing ones remain unresolved: Unless you have unlimited resources, treat your customers on a first-come, first-served basis. It’s fair and expected by most callers.
7. Being impolite on the phone: ''Please,'' ''thank you,'' and ''you’re welcome'' should be incorporated into every conversation. A customer treated politely is a customer treated well.
8. Indulging in casual or personal conversations with other employees while dealing with customers: Customers are the priority, not sharing personal problems or stories with colleagues.
9. Being deliberately unhelpful to customers: A customer complaint or question should never be met with a one-word answer. Be as detailed and specific as necessary.
10. Telling customers you hate your job: Answering phones and emails is not a ''dream job,'' but telling customers this simply makes the company and you look bad. Keep such sentiments out of client dealings.
