Poor customer service can be an absolute nightmare for any business. It’s like a poisonous weed that slowly suffocates the life out of your once-thriving venture (if it was even thriving in the first place!). You can’t even begin to express the frustration and disappointment it brings.
How Poor Customer Service Sells
1. All customers also market something one way or the other
Imagine, just for a moment, being a customer yourself. You’re excited about a product or service, and you eagerly reach out to the company for assistance. But instead of receiving a warm welcome, you’re met with indifference or even hostility. Your concerns are brushed aside, and your questions go unanswered. It’s as if your voice doesn’t matter, as if your satisfaction holds no value.
The impact of such treatment is devastating. Customers are the lifeblood of any business, and when they’re treated poorly, it feels like a betrayal. They start to question their decision to support your brand, doubting whether they made the right choice. And what happens next? They take their hard-earned money elsewhere, leaving your business in ruins.
2. Word of mouth is like bushfire in the dry season
But the damage doesn’t stop there. Oh no, it seeps into every aspect of your operations. Word-of-mouth travels like wildfire, and soon, your tarnished reputation becomes the talk of the town. Friends, family, and acquaintances learn of your abysmal customer service and decide to steer clear. Potential customers who were once intrigued by your offerings are now repelled, opting for your competitors instead. Your sales plummet, and your dreams of success turn into a never-ending nightmare.
And let’s not forget the power of social media. In this digital age, a single negative experience can go viral within seconds. The internet becomes an echo chamber of discontent, amplifying the damage caused by your negligence.
Read Also: Personal Branding and Why It Is Important
3. Your employees feel the vibe too, and may eventually leave
The ripple effect continues, reaching far beyond the realm of lost customers. Morale among your employees takes a nosedive. They witness the wrath of angry customers day in and day out, forced to confront the consequences of poor service. Their motivation wanes, and their passion fizzles out, leaving behind a disengaged workforce. When employees aren’t proud of the company they work for, their dedication wavers, and their productivity suffers. It becomes a toxic cycle that consumes your business from the inside out.
So, my dear business owners, take heed of this warning. Treat your customers like gold, with care and respect. Put yourself in their shoes and understand their needs. Invest in exceptional customer service, as it can make or break your business. Remember, a happy customer is a loyal customer, and their satisfaction is the key to your success.
And so, what! Some customers are just something else. Are customers always right? NO!
Sometimes, they are wrong.
Read Also: Who Came Up With The Customer Is Always Right?
How to Handle Customers When They are Wrong
1. Explain to them why they are wrong, but do it with wisdom.
A soft answer turns away wrath. You’d agree with me that you that saying certain “bitter truths” may seem like sweet melodies in the ears. Setting things straight doesn’t mean “speaking your mind”. Give them a hint of the difficult decisions you had to make and if they don’t appreciate it, that’s fine.
Customers just want the job done, but they can be human too.
However, if you are the problem, chances are that you already know it. Everyone has issues. Work on yours and get your customers or service providers or marketers back!
Read Also: 5 Signs You’re an Emphatic Person
3. Don’t condone inappropriate behaviour
Poor customer service also includes condoning inappropriate behaviour. Some people go over the top with their concerns and how they communicate them. If you continue apologizing, it becomes the order of the day. Insults, any form of abuse or threat is unacceptable!
Never lower your self-worth for something that has a price tag (your business). It’ll only get worse if you allow it. Report any of such occurrences.
4. Never be in haste to respond or proffer a solution without understanding the root cause.
Sometimes you leave the message hanging because it is not worth responding to, or you simply do not have any response for them, especially when you sense anger. Anger can make you spill certain classified/detailed information you’d regret later.
Take all the time you need to understand and reply, if need be, and with all propriety.
You might be surprised at how sorry they may be after the incident.
15 Quotes About Poor Customer Service
- “A business absolutely devoted to service will have only one worry about profits. They will be embarrassingly large.” – Henry Ford
- “If you don’t take care of your customer, your competitor will.” – Bob Hooey
- “Although your customers won’t love you if you give bad service, your competitors will.” – Kate Zabriskie
- “There are no menial jobs, only menial attitudes.” – William J. Brennan, Jr.
- “Nobody cares how much you know, until they know how much you care.” – Theodore Roosevelt
- “The customer is not always right, but they are always the customer!” – Shep Hyken
- “Thank your customer for complaining and mean it. Most will never bother to complain. They’ll just walk away.” – Marilyn Suttle
- “Make every interaction count. Even the small ones. They are all relevant.” – Shep Hyken
- “To give real service you must add something which cannot be bought or measured with money, and that is sincerity and integrity.” – Douglas Adams
- “Courteous treatment will make a customer a walking advertisement.” – James Cash Penney
- “Quality is remembered long after price is forgotten.” – Aldo Gucci
- “A complaint is a chance to turn a customer into a lifelong friend.” – Richard Branson
- “It takes months to find a customer… seconds to lose one.” – Vince Lombardi
- “It is so much easier to be nice, to be respectful, to put yourself in your customers’ shoes and try to understand how you might help them before they ask for help than it is to try to mend a broken customer relationship.” – Mark Cuban
- “Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning.” – Bill Gates
Brands with amazing customer service: Page Writer, Dough Man Foods, Total Filling Station-Apenkwa Branch....
In the end, both the business owner or marketer and the client must be fulfilled. Understand that, not every deal is for you, no matter how juicy they may seem. Again, not every customer is meant to stay. Building good relationships are worth more than gold. We have bad days sometimes, but lashing out at those who know nothing about it is also bad. Is poor customer service also a major turnoff for you? Have you had any bitter or amazing experiences? Hoping to read them in the comments section.
