When I purchased my printer several years ago, I bought a three year extended warranty. Unfortunately, last week, just as I was about to print out handouts for a presentation the next day, my printer died and I found out exactly what “warranty” meant.

A few years ago AOL became the poster child for a special kind of customer abuse when a customer recorded his phone call to them as he tried to cancel his account. All he wanted to do was leave. All they wanted to do was prevent him from leaving.

But they had his credit card information and so they could make him jump through any hoops they wanted to prevent him from becoming a former customer.

I like to leaf through catalogs to and tear out the pages on which I like to buy things. I tore out two pages: one to buy a portable table and another item which was a item to cook smores at a campfire. Pretty diverse.

As I was about to order from both companies, I decided to check to see if Amazon sold these items. When I check, they did at a few more dollars than the other catalogs.  However, I purchased from Amazon because:

As customers we are impatient, demanding, time starved and knowledgeable. Given all that, we know what we want and when we want it. And contrary to popular belief, it does not always have to be fast. But it does need to be resolved by a competent person in a responsive manner. We really don’t want to be on hold for what feels like an eternity. But if and when we reach a human we want it to be the right person.

Think about how we often describe our customers. We might label them as difficult, angry, rude, uninformed, arrogant, etc. (Sometimes we use terms like friendly, warm, engaging and so on.) On one level this seems useful. It might help us decide how to handle certain customers in specific situations.

But labels can also cause problems.

A while ago I wrote about a book called: “Choosing Civility”. One thing I like about the book is that it puts the responsibility for change on us, not on others, Even the title says it well. It reminds us we have the ability to choose how we act.

Recently we had a new water softener and heater installed.  And though I enjoy the good feeling I get from improving our home, I loathe the process.

I feel this way because too many retailers and contractors have made it a horrible experience for customers.  From “bait and switch” advertisements to aggressive up-selling to the cliched service scheduler who proudly announces their installers will be there between 8:00 am and 5:00 pm. Ugh!

One of the best ways to keep your customers coming back is by offering them details. The more specific you can be, the more most people will appreciate your efforts. When you offer customers details, you’re telling them you are willing to be thorough and complete as you help them. And you’re telling them you know what you’re doing. Details give you credibility.

When customers physically are in our business or organization, how are they treated?  One of the most important points that I stress is that it is essential to acknowledge customers as soon as possible.  There are few things more aggravating than having to look for a sales person or receptionist to help us.  The customer should be acknowledged within seconds of them walking through the doors.  Eye contact, a smile, a nod of the head, and a genuine verbal welcome tells the customer that you are happy that they are here and that you can help them.

In this marketplace, you can not afford to have a poor attitude showing to your customers. What are your employees saying when you are not listening?

A friend shared the following email that she sent to the individual responsible for Customer Service at Danier Leather in Toronto.

I am taking a few moments to email you about the poor customer service I received today at approximately 12.30 pm in your Eaton Centre store.

Several times a year I get a CD from a well-known PR consultant. She is a very aggressive and consistent promoter of her business. She has done a good job making herself well-known in her niche.

But, when I listen to her CD I often resist her message. Not because of its quality. She has a lot of good ideas and advice. What drives me away is the amount of time it takes to introduce her on each CD program.