Tony did exactly as he was trained. He sent a hand written thank-you note to his customer. But when his customer received it she was furious and tore it up into little pieces before throwing it out.
How could something as well intentioned as a thank-you note (handwritten, at that) create such a negative reaction? As it turns out, this customer was still in the process of getting a serious issue resolved with Tony and his company. The thank you note arrived before this issue was dealt with, he never mentioned it, and he never apologized for the problem. Even though the thank you note was handwritten, it was as impersonal as a mass produced letter that starts with “Dear Customer.”
If you only train your employees to routinely do things without understanding the subtleties and context of their actions, you run the risk that they’ll do the right things but in the wrong way.
Here are some of the most common customer service rules, when to break them, and alternative best practices to apply instead.
Rule one: Always use the customer’s name
Dale Carnegie said “The sweetest sound in any language is the sound of one’s own name.” Though it may be true that using a customer’s name can create a sense of intimacy, it can also have the opposite effect. Watch out for the following mistakes:
- Using the customer’s name too often. “Well, Bob, you can see that this is the perfect solution for your business, don’t you agree Bob? After all Bob, studies have shown this to be true. And Bob….” Overusing your customer’s name may make them uncomfortable, seeming like an insincere gimmick rather than a true connection.
- Mispronouncing your customer’s name. Some people have names that are hard to pronounce or have an unusual pronunciation. In either case you should always good to ask the proper way to pronounce their name. Once you’ve heard the proper pronunciation, it’s essential that you pronounce it correctly. Customers may forgive you for not saying it right, but it will still grate on the customer’s nerves to hear his name said wrong repeatedly.
- Being too formal or too informal when using your customer’s name. Some people prefer to use their first name; some prefer an honorific such as Mr., Miss, Ms., Mrs., Ma’am, Sir, etc. It is far more respectful to start off by being formal, and let your customer tell you their preference.
Best practice: Use your customers name in a way that shows respect and begins to build rapport.
Rule three: Always send a handwritten thank-you note
In this impersonal business world a handwritten note will help you stand out and make a great impression, but sometimes a note can have the opposite effect.
- For instance, sending a thank you note before a problem is successfully resolved is a bad idea as we learned from Tony’s story.
- Send an impersonal note can also strike the wrong chord A perfunctory “thank you for doing business with us” can fall flat like a form letter, ruining whatever connection you may have with your customer.
Best practice: Although a handwritten note is still somewhat personal in its nature, you need to take it a step further by writing something unique that relates to each customer. Your note should include references to what you have spoken about with the customer (such as their child’s baseball game or the health of a loved one.)
Rule Four: Follow the golden rule
From the time we are children we have been taught to follow the golden rule. “Do unto others as we would have them do unto us.” Following this rule can create a number of problems:
- For example, you don’t to treat your customer in a way that makes them uncomfortable. It is somewhat egocentric to assume that your customer always has the same wants and desires that you do. For example, if you are a gregarious person who likes lots of conversation and connection, you risk pushing your customer away if that kind of treatment makes them uneasy.
- When you treat a customer the way you want to be treated, you could miss an opportunity to surprise and delight. When you only use yourself as a reference about what would impress your customer you lose the ability to be nimble and creative. When you listen carefully to your customer, he or she will give you clues about what you can do to go the extra mile.
Best practice: “Treat others the way they want to be treated.” This ensures that your customer will be treated in a way that meets his or her needs.
The bottom line to all these rule breakers and best practices is to keep your customer service personal. Don’t just follow the rules. Choose the best way to apply them to meet and exceed your customer’s needs.
Laurie Brown is the author of The Teleprompter Manual, for Executives, Politicians, Broadcasters and Speakers. Laurie can be contacted at [email protected].