W hen you’re in customer service, your job is to interact with people. You are the face (or the voice) of the company that employed you, and what you say and do can either win or cost you a potential customer. A lot of pressure, we know. But don’t worry. We’re here to help. If you want to be a good Customer Service professional, here are some traits that you should avoid.
Having an Unapproachable Personality
I’ve never been big on phony smiles and standard robotic conversation. While there’s obviously a need for it (after all, consistency does help), authenticity is even more rewarding when done the right way. You can tell when a team really loves their job, respects their boss, believes in the company mission, and adheres to the organizational structure. Even on their bad days, they have a more upbeat spirit and personable personality.
However, when things aren’t right on the operations and organizational culture side, then customers come across lots of scowls, rolled eyes, frowns, and even aggression demeanors. You can bet they won’t be coming back if they can help it.
Deceptive Brand Promise
Whether you are offering accounting services, design packages, clothing items, or a speaking gig, how you deliver should align with the promise made to the customer. Those ‘what I asked for vs. what I got’ internet memes are popular for a reason. There are too many business owners signing contracts for services that they cannot adequately deliver. This is a sure way to anger customers and damage your brand.
Confusion Among Team Members or Management
Customers have lots of questions. That is the beauty of creating a solid FAQ page on your website and making a document for canned responses. When customers feel that there is inconsistency in your answers, it diminishes their trust in your business. Also, all team members should be on board with updates to the company (prices, times, locations, policies, etc.) so everyone presents the same information to curious customers.
Slow Response Times
This is easily one of the top complaints that customers have about a business. Whether they are waiting for an order or need an answer from the support team, they need to feel that their time is respected. A long wait time—especially and unnecessarily long wait time—will not only frustrate your customer but may even anger them. So, how are you managing your response time?
Hidden Policies, Costs, and Fees
As a small business owner, you should be transparent with your rates. Customers do not like assuming that a product or service is one price based on incomplete information only to find out there’s a whole other set of hidden fees. No one likes being lied to, even by omission. Not only will this turn away customers on principle, but they may even be unable to make the purchase simply because they were not given enough information beforehand so they could budget for it.
Customers are fickle by nature and, unfortunately, some take joy in being difficult or having an excuse to give a bad rating. It’s your job to be in control of the narrative of your business. Give your customers as few reasons as possible to view your business negatively. You can’t control customers, but you can operate your business with proficiency and integrity.
