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The easier access that social media affords anyone who can make it work is both a plus and a minus. The downside is that it’s not the people who have valuable things to say that always gain influence, since influence and social media readership are based on how well you can market and self promote. This sets up some interesting weirdnesses where self-promoters are able to accumulate readership based on characteristics that have nothing to do with how useful or even truthful and accurate the content is that they post.

Customer service is one area where the “advice” offered is often in the form of sound-bytes and fortune cookie statements that only seem to make sense if you don’t think about them. The problem is that oversimplification without acknowledging that things are being oversimplified provides people with a false sense of their own competence, and in business, not knowing what you don’t know is essential for survival. Over-simplification is an enemy of business, as is, by the way, over thinking and making simple things so complex that one never acts.

A Customer Service Example Of Oversimplification

The following have been tagged with the Twitter hashtag #custserv . It’s good to note that Twitter itself can make very smart people look very stupid, since expressing things in 140 character limit can be hard for even the brightest content and topic experts.

Take a look at the image to the right. It’s probably something many of us have said before, and in this context it has to do with doing the right thing in customer service because it’s the right thing. To be honest, I generally abide by this. But is it oversimplified, and can it be potentially harmful to misunderstand what is “underneath” this?

The Problem:

The problem, or one of the problems, is the meaning of “the right thing”. It’s easy to forget that what YOU think is the right thing, is not what I think is the right thing, or what the customer thinks is the right thing. Not only do ethnic cultures and place of birth affect what the right thing is in customer service but these things vary even within the same country. The “right thing” in New York city, may be different than in Utah, or California. In fact, you can bet on it. The “right thing” will often be different for the customer than it is for the owner of the business. Customer service, at least where the rubber hits the rode has very little to do with doing the “right thing” since there is no universal “right thing” in “real life”.

As this stands, this “guideline” is useless. It’s way oversimplified.

Too Picky?

Maybe this is being too picky? Are there real world consequences of taking this “oversimplified guideline” seriously? Yes. First, to believe that YOUR beliefs are universal and that everybody shares what you believe is “right” is the height of arrogance and self-absorption, and customers will realize this if they interact with you enough. It DOES come through. Second, you destroy communication by taking a dogmatic absolutist approach to values, and that is a huge problem. You alienate people, as the image says, but you do it because you reduce the customer conversation to “I’m right”, and doing the right thing, and “You are wrong”, and doing the wrong thing.

If you want a recipe for disaster and an enraged customer convey that.

If you understand that you have an idea of the right thing, and the customer has an idea that might be somewhat different, you can dialogue about the issue. Often in my work I do that early on in conversations about work, even if there isn’t a problem, because I want both of us to feel that we are both ending up doing enough of the right thing to be happy. When shipments go awry, for example, I often ask the customer what they think would be the right thing to do, particularly when there seems to be evidence that they product was delivered. Then we work from there. The customer explains his “right thing” and I explain mine, and we almost always find a point where we are both happy.

That doesn’t happen if either one of us clings on to our unique “right thing” in a dogmatic way.

Conclusion

It may be you are in a position to see your way as the ONE right way, and while that may not be a great path to growth, you are entitled, but there`s a catch. If you believe that, you should be willing to take the business and personal consequences fo being self-centered, arrogant, and culture centric. If you are posting oversimplied dreck such as in the image, you should also be aware the some might find posting misleading or harmful simplifications as unethical.

After all, isn`t that the right thing?

Passing Strange:

Here`s an oft retweeted bit of information about HP and customer service:

“HP, for example, said that it saved $10 million in call center costs by infusing social listening into customer service.”

However, here are some other comments appearing adjacent to (before or after) this one:

Just found out if you yell “F*** YOU I HATE YOU” at the robot lady on the HP customer service line, it redirects your call to a human lady!

And

HP customer service at (866)684-3620 unhelpful, arrogant, & rude. Talked to Julie. Three dead laptops, DEAD END CUSTOMER SERVICE.~

And

@HP_SUCKS You have to ask why this company (HP) are still trading. I hear that their customer service rating on a par with Walmart!! (zero)

And

Dell, Apple – I love their customer service. HP – just stay away. Horrible, terrible,…

It is interesting that when there appears to be a success story about how company x has saved y amount by using social media, it`s heavily trumpeted everywhere by those on social media, while at the same time, the same people ignore the huge litany of complaints from users about the same company`s customer service.

It`s pretty strange, and misleading.

Note: Not to poke specifically at HP by the way, although I monitor them because I use a lot of their hardware. If you look for complaints for any major company, you`ll find them.

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Excerpt from Perfect Phrases For Customer Service

We’ve included this technique because timing is so important when dealing with angry customers. It’s not a technique so much as something you should be aware of. Angry people are often not ready or even able to think logically or in an organized way. If you try to solve a customer’s problem when he or she is not ready, it won’t work.

First, deal with the customer’s feelings using various acknowledgment and empathy techniques. Only when the customer is acting less upset should you move on (refocus) to solve the specific problem.

Here’s a tip. You will know you are problem-solving too early if the customer ignores your attempts and you have to repeat yourself because he or she isn’t hearing you.

Preface To The Second Edition of Perfect Phrases For Customer Service (McGraw-Hill) – 2010

This might be the most boring book on customer service you will ever come across. And if you are in customer service you NEED this book, because I guarantee you it will help you! It may not entertain you. If you want entertaining rent a movie.

It will, however, make you a better customer service provider, and it will make you safer, and help reduce stress from difficult customer situations.

You’ve probably seen those commercials for the cough syrup brand that tastes so bad? It’s a fun ad campaign and its memorable. One remembers the simple fact that the cough syrup works. This book is like that. Tastes sort of bad. Works great.

In a short customer review of the first edition of this book, a reviewer indicated he thought the book was deadly dull. Authors don’t like that. I didn’t like it. Then I was asked to write the second edition of this book – the one you hold in your hand. Now I had to read the original book, and darned if I had to agree. It’s boring!

The other thing I noticed, (and this was reflected in other more detailed reader reviews) was that the content is really really good. Ok. I’m biased, but seriously, there is much in this book you won’t find elsewhere. The examples are thorough and clear. The explanations are straightforward. It’s been six years since the original book, and there wasn’t a single technique or customer service strategy that could be removed. The practical hands on guidance on what to say when is still way ahead of anything else out there on the market.

Only it’s still boring. Yes, a fair amount of the text was edited and improved, but here’s the thing. Yes, we added a new section on social media, and it’s wee bit less boring. Not quite the potboiler, though. Never will be. Read the rest of this entry »

The following is an excerpt from Perfect Phrases For Customer Service

When a Customer Is in a Hurry

The Situation

In this day and age, people often hurry to conduct their business and move on. How can you interact with a customer who is in a hurry in a way that reflects that you understand the customer’s need for speed and not anger him or her?

Techniques Used

● Voice Tone—Emphatic (1)

● Assurances of Results (2)

Dialogue

A customer arrives at an airline counter to check in for her flight and is clearly flustered, out of breath, and in a hurry.

Customer: Oh lord, I don’t want to miss my flight, my car broke down, and oh goodness ….

Employee: We’ll get you on your flight. (2) [She looks at the ticket the customer presents.] No problem. You still have 15 minutes to get to the gate (1, 2). Bags to check? (1)

Customer: Just the one.

Employee: Seat preference, aisle or window? (1)

Customer: Window.

Explanations

Since the customer is clearly flustered, the employee first reassures the customer that she won’t miss her flight in (2). In addition to that simple reassurance, the employee informs the customer that she still has 15 minutes to get to the gate. That’s reassuring information.

What really works well here is the use of a tone of voice that matches the situation. The employee uses a very firm, emphatic tone of voice (1), but also speaks more quickly than normal and in shorter sentences than she would with someone who is not feeling so time-pressured. Why? By speaking in a way that conveys urgency, she is communicating to the customer that she understands the customer’s situation and is modifying her behavior to address the customer’s need.

The following is a definition of customer that we use in Perfect Phrases for Customer Service

Here’s a better definition: the customer is the person next in line who receives your output (service, products). That person may purchase goods or services directly or receive output you create or deliver without direct payment. The person may be outside your company, but this definition also includes anyone within the company who receives output from you.

I might add that when I do customer service seminars I often tack the following onto the definition above:

Also the customer is the person who has the power to make your job a living hell if you do things to anger or annoy him or her!

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The following is a brief excerpt from Perfect Phrases For Customer Service

Passive-aggressive behavior from a customer is different than passive-aggressive behavior coming from someone closer to you—let’s say a spouse, child, co-worker or boss. In the latter cases, it’s important, in order to build or maintain the relationships, to deal with the person’s discomfort. With a customer, it’s usually not worth exploring why the customer is upset. The passive-aggressive customer won’t tell you.

Deal with the passive-aggressive in a calm, business-like and task-oriented way. Don’t take the bait, and don’t indicate the behavior is putting you off balance.

Passive-aggressive behavior tends to be fairly ingrained in people who use it. You won’t be able to change that in casual encounters with customers. Get the business done, and move on. The customer may still be angry or upset, but unless he or she takes some responsibility to work with you to become less upset, there’s nothing you can do.

As part of our commitment to help you provide better customer service we are releasing excerpts from Perfect Phrases For Customer Service via our blog. Of course we hope you buy the book since it’s such a low cost resource, and it’s suitable for any industry. I think you will see that the content of this book is way more useful, applicable and powerful compared to any other books on the market. Enjoy!

When you deal with an angry or difficult customer, it’s important to prove to him or her that you understand the facts surrounding the situation that is upsetting and the feelings the customer is experiencing. The catch is that “what you focus on, you get more of”—and you don’t want to encourage the customer to continue being difficult or continue angry behavior that interferes with helping the customer. Acknowledging Without Encouraging really involves the combination of two techniques.

The first set involves using both empathy statements and refocus statements together. First, you acknowledge the feelings in a short sentence and, without stopping, you refocus or steer the conversation back to the problem and away from the customer’s emotions.

Similarly, you can do the same thing around demonstrating your understanding of the facts of the customer’s situation by combining active listening with refocusing. Reflect back your understanding of the customer’s situation and then refocus back to problem solving.

The important thing to remember is the principle. You need to acknowledge the facts of the situation and the emotions, but you don’t want to dwell on them. Focusing on them results in longer interactions that tend to be more emotional.