Some great posts on customer service from around the web in the last few days. For a smile, check out this post at Signal vs. Noise for a great customer service story about going above and beyond (to infinity even, if you will):
Lori Jo Vest brings us customer service lessons that start with the opposite sort of situations than the one that picture goes with, though. One great lesson:
LESSON #2: Never ever take things personally. I’m pretty sure [this customer from the case study] was flummoxed by not being able to make a very basic shipment at the [large shipping company]. I’m willing to bet that she was a bit peeved and may have been less than polite. That doesn’t matter. Even if the customer is angry or even rude, they are still the customer. It’s your job to make them happy or at least do your best. When you’re on the job or behind the counter, you represent the company, so it’s never ever personal. Ever. The customer isn’t angry at you. It’s your role to be a problem solver and an angry customer soother. Always. No exceptions.
Adrian Swinscoe has some great thoughts on the importance of giving your customer feedback the attention it deserves – according to his data:
- Up to 95% of all the firms they surveyed complete some sort of customer survey
- 50% inform their employee what their customers are saying
- 30% develop an action plan around the feedback
- 10% put that plan into place; and
- Only 5% communicate what they did and why back to their customers.
