If you’ve read much of my work, you know a big part of what I preach is that Amazing customer service starts with treating everyone well. If you want more loyal customers, treat them well. But in doing so you need to treat everyone well, not just customers.
What’s amusing (but in a sad way) is how many people who contact me violate this very basic idea. They request information. They want pricing. They have a question. They expect me to stop what I’m doing and respond to them. They want my help.
Yet, when I do what they ask, many never have the courtesy to respond or reply. No “thanks”. No confirmation they received the information. Nothing.
They want to improve customer service but they don’t even treat me with basic courtesy and respect.
And they wonder why they have customer service problems!
I know why this happens.
Some people (not all, thankfully) believe it’s okay to be a lousy customer. They think being a customer gives them the right to be rude, impatient, inconsiderate, demanding, thankless, abrasive, condescending, (enter your favorite adjective here). For some reason, being on the customer side of the transaction makes some people feel like the King or Queen and the other people are their minions.
These people forget being a customer does not grant them the right to be a jerk.
There are two lessons I take from this. One is that even jerks should get good service. Because professionals always do the best job they can, even when their customer is not so pleasant. We should always treat everyone well.
The other lesson is for us when we are the customer. If you want better service, be a better customer.
It’s human nature to treat people well who treat us well. We reciprocate and we mirror. We give back what we get. It’s a habit most of us develop at a young age.
Plus, when you treat others well, you put them at ease. You create a situation where it’s easier to perform well. You help them forget whatever might be causing them stress so they can focus on you. Because you focused on them.
Other articles you might like:
- Here’s the most important secret to success
- What kind of customer are you?
- Say thank you as often as you can
- Yawn… I can’t wait to stop helping these customers and leave this place
- Acknowledge Your Customer’s Presence
Kevin,
I found years ago that, as a christian, that if I followed the basic principles of the Bible that my ability to give outstanding customer service was greatly improved. I am fortunate that I work for a company that makes it easy for customers to give feedback about their experiences, and not a week goes by that someone doesn’t call our National 800 number and leave a positive comment about their service experience with me. Even though Ive worked in the customer service industry most of my career, I am always trying to learn new things, and find new ways to “wow” our customers. I really appreciate your site!
Hi Jamie – Thanks for sharing your thoughts and experiences in your job. Giving good service is not complicated, is it? But we do have to want to do it. Thanks for reading too!
This is a great article. I have worked in customer service for a while now, but have just picked up on this little gem. I found it by accident one day when I was dealing with a less than kind travel agent booking a flight for my boss. I wanted to treat her as rudely as she was treating me, but instead I went the other direction and behaved positively and with compassion. Instead of me adopting her attitude, she adopted mine. She was quite pleasant and helpful for the rest of the call. From then on I decided to approach those serving me with same measure of kindness I would like to receive back. It’s made for some pretty memorable experiences.