Or you're in a deep and meaningful conversation with your boss and the phone rings / a customer walks in. What do you do?
As I've grown older and less tolerant of poor customer service, every experience like this which isn't handled well presents an opportunity for the individual and thus the company / business / organisation to do better. There should be proper training and clear guidelines as to what is expected of everyone working for a company, and in many there are - and they get it right. Are you sure that's your business?
How important is the customer? How do you know if that's a new one on the phone waiting to give you a huge order? How do you know if the person walking in is a mystery shopper?
How often have you fumed while you travel the world virtually through call centre systems when the business you're calling about is located just down the road?
Each time I stand in line waiting for service when the person behind the counter is so busy chatting to his / her colleague about what they did the night before, or I'm fighting with a health centre receptionist to get an appointment (to which my response is usually "Three weeks? I'll either be dead or better by then"), or my local leisure centre when they can't find my booking when I made it in person the week before, I want to go straight to the person at the top and tell them there's a training need. And sometimes I do.
Why am I, as a Public Relations and Communications specialist, talking about Customer Service? Because it can make or break your business. Get it wrong and it doesn't matter how good your products or services are because your customers will go elsewhere. It'll have a direct affect on your reputation, sales and ultimately your profits. And that's the connection. That's why it's so important.
To rectify the need, my Customer Service 101 training workshop looks at the topic from a PR and Comms perspective and is going to be held in Brighton on 20th February.
Come along for a refresher; if you're starting a business come along to ensure great Customer Service from Day One; or send your team for a couple of hours out and some fun, informal and interactive training.
Practical tips you can put into practice straight away will put a smile on your Customer Service face. And as they say in certain establishments "Have a nice day now!"
You can book tickets at an insanely competitive price here.
