10 Customer Service Mistakes That Can Kill Your Business

Customer ComplaintsThe U.S. economy has been showing signs of growth, but recovery remains sluggish – although sales are strong, the projected 0.4 GDP growth rate in the fourth quarter remains the weakest in four years. Therefore, to claw their way back to  respectability, business owners must eliminate losses in sales by avoiding even the simplest of mistakes.

Like upsetting its customers.

It’s simple, really – irate customers can defect to your competitor, taking the revenue they bring in to your company. Worse, your ex-customers can put a bad word about your products and services, driving away potential clients to do business with you. Less customers means less revenue, which is bad for business.

To avoid getting your customers annoyed, you must know what causes them. Here are ten customer service mistakes that can spell doom for just about any small business.

1. Poorly Trained Employees

Professional customer service starts with well trained staff. It doesn’t matter how many employees you have, if somebody deals with customers, they need to be thought how to do so in a professional fashion. Too many small businesses go under simply because their employees weren’t told about the importance of a smile.

What to do: Read Train Your Customer Service Reps to Create Magical Customer Service by Diane Berenbaum and Jean Marie Johnson to understand what makes a staff competent.

2. Clueless Employees

If customer service skills are to prove effective, they need to be combined with an in-depth knowledge of the products or services that your business provides. After all, a smile isn’t worth much if the person wearing it is completely clueless. Your employees must be able to answer questions about your business without your assistance.

What to do: Customer service reps must be able to think critically to better assess the problem and provide a workable solution to the client. This can be seen upon screening potential employees and how they answer your interview questions. Read this article at ZenDesk about ten interview questions to ask people applying to become custom service reps.

3. Arguing with Customers

The customer is always right. And even if he isn’t, there’s no logic in telling him so. Never argue with customers, agree with them. With the likes of Yelp becoming more and more popular, arguments have never been so bad for business.

What to do: There’s no turning back once you argue with a customer, which is why you simply must discourage your customer service to talk back. Learn more about not arguing with your customers in this article by Avenue Media Group.

4. Being Inaccessible

Sometimes good customer service is simply about being available. If a customer wants to speak to you, is it possible for them to get in touch with you? No matter how well you train your staff, there will be times when you are needed. Accessibility is equally important online. If a customer has a question that isn’t answered on your website, is it clear how he/she can contact you?

What to do: Make sure that you provide multiple lines of communications for your customers to reach you. Give them the choice to call, chat, and e-mail you at moment’s notice. Respond as soon as possible – if your reps can’t reach them for a reply, set up an automated message to inform them that your business is currently unavailable and will resume on said time.  For this, you will need a CRM software suitable to your needs. Click here for a list of the best software for your customer service reps.

5. Failing to Keep Promises

0605(Source)

Broken promises are the very opposite of good customer service. Train your staff not to promise anything unless they are certain that they can deliver. It’s advice that you should be following too. If you are forced to break a promise due to unforeseen circumstances, always apologize emphatically. Focus on solutions, not excuses. And don’t be afraid to make up for your mistake with a discount.

What to do: Read Media Partner’s post about how to keep your promises to your clients for more ideas.

6. Passing the Buck

When somebody contacts your company by phone, they shouldn’t be passed from department to department. It’s one of the easiest ways to turn a calm customer into an irate one.

What to do: Design your call system with efficiency in mind. The same logic applies to in store inquiries. Train your employees to find answers themselves rather than telling customers to go look for them.

7. Failing to Listen

Customer service isn’t just about providing answers, it’s about genuinely listening to the questions that are being asked. If a customer asks a question, don’t make assumptions. Listen to their specific concerns and answer accordingly. Sometimes the simple act of listening can mean the difference between a customer gained and a customer lost.

What to do: Here’s eight ways on how to listen effectively to your customers from Examiner.

8. Taking Your Best Employees off the Front Line

When a customer service employee continues to go above and beyond, promoting him to management can seem like an excellent idea. Unfortunately, there’s no faster way to send your customer service quality into a tailspin.

What to do: The answer to this problem is simple – keep your best employees on the front line. Offer raises instead of promotions. The best management in the world can’t save your business from subpar customer service.

9. Making a Poor First Impression

What’s the first thing a potential customer is greeted with when they come in contact with your business? When they call, are they immediately put on hold? When they walk into your premises, are they greeted with a smile or a shrug? The first thirty seconds are absolutely crucial. They set the tone for the entire customer experience.

What to do: Here’s an interesting excerpt from a Forbes article:

Princeton University psychologist Alex Todorov and co-author Janine Willis, a student researcher who graduated from Princeton in 2005 had people look at a microsecond of video of a political candidate. Amazingly, research subjects could predict with 70-percent accuracy who would win the election just from that microsecond of tape. This tells us that people can make incredibly accurate snap judgments in a tenth of a second.

Let your customer service reps take advantage of those very first moments talking to a client by learning how you can make a killer first impression.

10. Not Leading By Example

Finally, there’s the small matter of leading by example, it happens to be vital. If you’re not willing to go that extra mile for your customers, how can you expect your staff to be? It’s your responsibility, as business owner, to not only teach your staff about excellent customer service but also to demonstrate it on a daily basis. Telling your staff to smile isn’t going to mean much if you’re always scowling.

What to do: Make sure that you read MindTool’s exhaustive post about exerting leadership and apply the same concepts presented in the article to how you manage your business.

Author Bio

Adrian Smith carries out contract manufacturing in Bay Area. While there’s much gung-ho about working techniques, he feels that a lot of people miss out on customer service essentials. An expert at it, he has given some useful tips in today’s post.

Find out how you can grow your business by cultivating a culture for your employees, hiring potential staff the right way, and more! Get your FREE copy of our 100 Practical Solutions for Business Growth by clicking on the banner below!

468x60-rev

About the Author

PrintRunner
PrintRunner offers online printing service based in Van Nuys, California. They specialize in supplying discerning clients with superior print stickers, business cards, posters, postcards, and other products at affordable rates. Get a FREE copy of their sample kit now and see for yourself.

Comments are closed.