Q&A: Biggest Mistake in Customer Service?
by Norma
(Raleigh, NC USA)
Tell me about a time when you made a mistake in dealing with a customer situation. What was the final outcome and lessons learned?
Answer
Date: July 22, 2008
Before I answer this question I have to tell you that there was a time that I had a hard time dealing with angry customers. I was still a young man, and each time someone was flaming me, I took it inside, and it built and built and built...
That was my first mistake. I thought that the other person was mad at me! But of course the anger was pointed towards the company, not me personally. I know that now, but not then.
The stress of handling angry customers flowed over into my family life. That was my 2nd mistake. Although it's not healthy to keep all that stress inside, venting and being angry at home is not the best way to handle it...
But then, one day, I got another angry customer. And something snapped. I gave that customer some of his own cookie. Boy, did that feel GOOD! My 3rd mistake. That customer hung up on me and called my boss!
Now, I wasn't fired or something (it's just not that easy in my country) but it was a great wake-up call for both my boss and me. This couldn't continue, and he taught me how to deal with bad customers.
First off, there was a rule they had (I didn't know it) that we didn't have to accept abuse. And if the abuse continued, we could even FIRE customers.
And he taught me how to handle customer complaints.
But most importantly, I learned how to handle stress!
After that, I learned to love customers, not hate them! (oh, and I learned to only work for companies that feel the same way. Short term thinking kills customer satisfaction and long term company profits).
Hope this answers your question.
At your service,
Erwin.
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