After yesterday’s post, I thought it would be a good idea to clarify my position on customer service.

As I’ve said before, customer service is a partnership. The customer and the business have responsibilities, kind of like in a marriage.

The businesses’ responsibilities include:

• Providing the advertised product or service
• Working with the customer to give them what they ask for
• Being respectful and considerate
• Being honest

This reminds me of a customer service experience when I was in high school, working at McDonald’s. A man walked in and very sheepishly said that his wife, who was waiting in the car, wanted a bread and butter sandwich. Was there any way we could provide one?

My co-worker, who took his order, said, “Sure!” She found two hamburger buns, buttered them and toasted them slightly. Then wrapped this sandwich and sold it to the man. I don’t know how much she charged, but that’s not really the point. She found a way to provide him with what he needed.

This brings me to the customers responsibilities, which include:

• Asking for exactly what you want
• Working with the company to figure out what you want
• Being respectful and considerate
• Being honest

Now, if the man at McDonald’s had come into the store, rudely demanded a bread and butter sandwich, complained that it was made on a hamburger bun and not a slice of white bread and then expected to receive it for free — I’d say he was wrong and should be sent packing.

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I know, I know. I’ve been harping on this one for awhile now.

I just don’t like it when I hear stories from my clients or design partners who have been bending over backwards for someone so long and so far, that they risk breaking their back, rhetorically speaking.

So, when I saw this article called “Customers Can Be Wrong” at 3tailer, I had to share it with you.

One woman who frequently flew on Southwest, was constantly disappointed with every aspect of the company’s operation. In fact, she became known as the “Pen Pal” because after every flight she wrote in with a complaint.

She didn’t like the fact that the company didn’t assign seats; she didn’t like the absence of a first-class section; she didn’t like not having a meal in flight; she didn’t like Southwest’s boarding procedure; she didn’t like the flight attendants’ sporty uniforms and the casual atmosphere.

Her last letter, reciting a litany of complaints, momentarily stumped Southwest’s customer relations people. They bumped it up to Herb’s [Kelleher, CEO of Southwest] desk, with a note: ‘This one’s yours.’

In sixty seconds, Kelleher wrote back and said, ‘Dear Mrs. Crabapple, We will miss you. Love, Herb.’”

Wasn’t that great? Herb’s response illustrates exactly what we should do when we have a customer who refuses to be happy.

Alex at PositiveSharing.com has a list of Top 5 reasons why the maxim “the customer is always right” is actually wrong.

Here are my thoughts as a WAHM on his reasons:

1. It makes employees unhappy.

You may think this doesn’t apply to you because you are a solopreneur — no employees. But you’re forgetting someone — YOU. I have heard many stories of women who started a business, doing what they love, serving others. They were providing great service.

But then the jerks came along and demanded more than they paid for, bellyached when things didn’t go they way they wanted them to, nevermind that this is not what they’d paid for.

Just last week, one of my design partners had a client purchase one template. By the end of two months, my partner had created five templates for different sections of her site and the client was complaining that things were taking too long. Well — one template normally takes two weeks. Five templates — we’re looking at a little more than two months! This client still had only paid for one template.

Had my partner stood by the customer is always right maxim, she would still be working on the site, creating new templates and losing money every minute for a client who did not know what she wanted and was never going to be happy.

2. It gives abrasive customers an unfair advantage.

If you think that all customers are going to be so happy with your product that they’ll never even dream of uttering a complaint, must less make unreasonable demands in abusive and uncivilized ways — you are wrong.

You can have the best product in your industry and there will be someone who doesn’t like it. Interestingly enough, the more successful you become, the more of these abrasive customers you will find.

You must remember that no one has a right to treat you with disrespect and to demand more than they have paid for. Respect yourself and get rid of those whiners!

3. Some customers are bad for business

Respect and dignity, the terms Alex uses in his post, are more important than money. If you are wanting to be treated rudely and disrespectfully, go get a job on Hell’s Kitchen.

Otherwise, this is your business. You get to decide you who work with. Pick those people who have great attitudes, respect you and WANT to work with you.

4. It results in WORSE customer service.

When you give yourself the power to say no to a customer, to tell them that you no longer wish to do business with them, you improve your customers service. Here’s why:

• You’ll be able to care more about other people, including customers
• You’ll have more energy
• You will be happy, which means more fun to talk to and interact with
• You will be more motivated

On the other hand, if you are constantly dealing with customers who try to run over you, you’ll quickly become demoralized:

• You are not valuing yourself
• You’re telling yourself that being treated fairly is not important
• You’ll convince yourself that you have no right to respect from customers
• You’ll have to put up with everything from customers

If you were an employee of your company, handling your customers, would you want to work for you?

5. Some customers are just plain wrong.

There. I said it. (Again, right? LOL!)

Alex puts it like this:

The fact is that some customers are just plain wrong, that businesses are better of without them, and that managers siding with unreasonable customers over employees is a very bad idea, that results in worse customer service.

And in my words:

The fact that some customers are just plain wrong, that businesses are better off without them and that you siding with unreasonable customers over your own rights as a human being is a very bad idea, that results in worse customer service.

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I’ve had the ideas for this post running around in my head for a couple of weeks now, but just haven’t really been compelled to write them until now. Every time I think about writing this post, it grows to gargantuan lengths before I even get it out of my head. I’ve thought about dividing this post into smaller chunks, but I’m not sure that works either.

But then my friend Lynette Chandler posted a commentary on customer service that really illustrates one of the points that I want to make. So I’m going to jump in and we’ll just see where this goes.

Over the past few years, I’ve searched the internet for commentary on customer service. I’ve found forum posts in which customers and even business owners have stated that it’s better to work at a loss than to have a dissatisfied client. “The customer is always right” is the mantra and it’s called good business.

Alternately, I’ve read blog posts in which business owners have stated that the customer is always right — except when they are wrong. The business owner should then try to educate the customer, and attempt to bring her over to the side of right. Of course, this assumes that the customer is honestly uninformed and that communication efforts will lead to an agreement that is equitable to both parties. Once the customer is brought up to speed, she is right and all is well.

Unfortunately, I think both of those attitudes fail to encompass all customer service situations encountered in the real world — and most certainly not the case that prompted Lynette to write her diatribe.

Here is my theory, in a nutshell: Customer service is a partnership. You could even call it a relationship.

As in any relationship, you must have mutual trust, respect and honesty. The business owner has a product or service she is especially equipped and willing to provide. The customer has a need for said product or service and the money to exchange for it.

Additionally, the business owner sets the tone and boundaries for the relationship, for online businesses, through the content on the website — the policies and procedures in particular.

The partnership begins when the customer selects the business owner, preferably after doing some research on said business and determining based on word of mouth referrals and a perusal of goods or services. At this point, the customer extends respect and trust to the business owner by purchasing the product, and asking any questions or making in requests in a respectful manner.

The business owner extends trust and respect by accepting payment, providing the product and answering any questions or responding to any requests in a respectful manner.

Unfortunately, this partnership is not always this idyllic. Problems occur when business owners fail to provide what they have advertised — or when customers expect the owner to set aside boundaries they have established. Or when a customer is dishonest and is attempting to get something they haven’t paid for.

Additionally, either side can blow a partnership through abusive language, overstepping boundaries and generally untrustworthy and disrespectful behavior.

For example, a business owner who takes the money and never does anything is violating the agreement between herself and the customer, which destroys the partnership through dishonesty. Likewise, a customer who pays for a specific service, and then expects the business owner to provide additional services at no extra charge is overstepping the boundaries of the agreement.

Customers who fail to provide necessary information to troubleshoot issues with products or services, or who immediately assume that the business owner is untrustworthy the moment trouble arises and responses in a verbally abusive manner are violating this partnership.

Business owners and customers alike will benefit from being 100 percent honest about expectations, from being perfectly clear in what is to be delivered and what is not. Written agreements are always better than verbal ones.

So what does this mean? It means that while the business owner is responsible for setting the tone and boundaries for their business relations, the customer has an integral part in building and maintaining the partnership. Problems on either side can cause a “bad” customer service experience. Often, only the parties themselves know who is really at fault. In some cases, both parties may be at fault, and in others, neither.

Of one thing I am certain: You cannot judge a business or a customer by one bad experience, nor can you make an accurate judgment after hearing only one side of the story.

What can you do to improve your customer service — regardless of what side of the fence you are on?

1. If you’re a business owner, make sure your policies and procedures are clear. Make sure you describe exactly what the customer is getting.
2. Maintain professionalism in your communications. Get your agreements in writing.
3. Customers, make sure you know exactly what you want, that the business is providing what you want, and that you maintain professionalism in your communications.

As I’m sure you know, even the best of intentions lead to … you know where. If you’re a business owner dealing with a dishonest customer, I recommend you get out ASAP. If laws have been broken, contact authorities. If you simply suspect the customer is out to get as much out of you as possible, do the best you can to professionally and courteously extract yourself from the relationship. You deserve to be paid for any time or products that you have put into the partnership — but you should not continue. If you’re uncertain of what you can do, call your attorney to make sure you’re taking appropriate steps and are doing what is legally right. I’d also recommend talking to a business advisor to make sure that what is legally right is also ethically right.

If you are a customer dealing with a dishonest business, I recommend contacting authorities such as the Attorney General’s office in the company’s state, or at least an attorney who can advise you as to your rights under the law in the situation. Naturally, this should be done after you have made every effort possible to mend the partnership with the company. I would also do this before posting negative reviews on public sites, as you may be hurting yourself legally otherwise. If you truly have a legal leg to stand on, it’s better to handle it through the proper channels than through attempts to harm a businesses reputation. This can backfire on you if you’re interpretation of events is inaccurate and leads you to make libelous statements that could be viewed as malicious attempts to harm a business.

These three steps will go a long way in ensuring that an honest business and an honest customer will be able to build a partnership that is beneficial to both, and that can be easily mended if it gets off track.

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An increasing number of people are hiring life and business coaches. Coaches help you set goals and achieve them. Like a sports coach, life and business coaches help you develop your strengths and work around your weaknesses.

Many types of people can benefit from a coach, but people that work from home can may reap more benefits than someone in a corporate atmosphere. This is because people that work from home are generally isolated. If you miss having someone to bounce ideas off and have someone to brainstorm with, a coach may be for you.

Coaches will hold you accountable for your actions. For instance, if you are in direct sales and your goal is to sell $400 worth of product each week, your coach will help you set mini goals to accomplish that. When you meet with your coach and she asks you what you have done, you need to be honest.

Coaches can also help you with time management, leadership, and customer service skills. If you tend to procrastinate or have a fear of success or failure, a coach can help you work through it. Some other issues that a coach can help you with include: Creating a balance between work and family, creating an organizational system, and improving your communication skills.

How to find a good coach

Good coaches will also give you honest feedback. They will let you know if you are lacking in certain areas and give you tips on how to improve. It can be hard to hear criticism, but if it makes you a better business person in the long run, it is worth it.

Many coaches will offer a complimentary session; this will help you determine if your personalities match. Different coaches have different styles, so you may want to talk to a few coaches to determine which one you feel most comfortable with. You may also want to ask them about their accreditation. If you are having specific issues with your business, ask if they have experience in those areas.

A coach may choose to work with their clients via email, through one-on-one telephone calls or group calls. If you feel intimidated to speak up in a group session, let your coach know. However, you may enjoy group sessions as you will get to see that other people are going through the same type of problems. The rates a coach may charge can vary quite a bit. You can expect to pay anywhere from $50 per hour and up.

It is important to remember that a coach is not a therapist. A coach cannot fix your problems They can guide you along the way to success, but you will need to do the actual work.

Are you trying to sell physical products online and you’d like to talk to a coach about improving your sales? Contact Michelle.

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I once last a potential client because his emails to me kept bouncing back to him. My email addressed worked properly for many other people (and still does). But for whatever reason, his emails would not go through to it. So, he emailed me at another address of mine, to tell me that he no longer wished to do business with my company since I obviously didn’t want to do business with him.

Ummm….OK.

Can I have a show of hands — How many of you can identify with this situation? You’ve sent emails out that have gotten lost and customers complain that you are ignoring them.

Or a customer sends you email that never arrives — and then you have to run double time to catch up on a situation and smooth things over.

Do you have stories of email escapades with a Murphy’s Law twist?

I’d love to hear them!

(And whoever has the best story — I’ll interview you, or at least tell your story — in an episode of my new podcast, Product Seller’s Talk Radio.

So, stay tuned — and tell me your stories!

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I was grinning from ear to ear and floating across my office after receiving these comments from a happy customer:

Michelle, Thank you for all of the hard work you put into your business so that I can make mine a success. You are consistent with OUTSTANDING customer service. You are the only company I would ever think of using for SKP, hosting and all the other services you provide like helping us with copy content and how to improve our sites!
Kris Congo-Owner
Punchwork Studio
http://www.punchworkstudio.com

Thank YOU very much, Kris, for being such a great client. I have enjoyed working with you and I wish you all the success you desire.

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Does great customer service mean the company will bend to its customer’s will, no matter what?

Does it mean that the company is bound by “the customer is always right” — with no recourse?

I’m wondering what your thoughts are, because I recently read a thread at The Babywearer forums in which baby sling business owners discuss a particularly nasty customer service situation.

I would like to add another perspective into the pot. This situation reminds me of an entry in Seth Godin’s blog regarding the customer is always right:

Rule 1: The customer is always right

Rule 2: If the customer is ever wrong, reread rule No. 1

Rule 3: If the customer is wrong, they’re not your customer any more.

Bet you hadn’t thought of that.

Seth gives some additional advice for handling customers who are wrong:

Fire them. Politely decline to do business with them. Refer them to your arch competitors. Take them off the mailing list. Don’t make promises you can’t keep, don’t be rude, just move on.

If you’ve got something worth paying for, you gain power when you refuse to offer it to every single person who is willing to pay you.

Now that’s something to consider, especially for small WAHM businesses who can’t afford to spend 95 percent of their time placating the 1 percent of their clients who are unhappy and always will be.

Thoughts?

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Please take a look at this helpdesk commentary from my friend Kelly McCausey, who ownes WAHM Talk Radio.

Most of my clients have been very understanding of my switch to a helpdesk several month ago. They were especially understanding when they realized that my helpdesk is staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with technicians who know the inner workings of my servers.

However, I have had a small handful of clients who missed the emails I send every few months telling them about the helpdesk, who ignore the message on my answering machine instructing them to use the helpdesk for a fast response, or who just don’t like the helpdesk.

I hope that Kelly’s blog entry will help them see the light and understand that the helpdesk is there to help insure excellent customer support, not hinder it.

[tags]customer service, helpdesk, technical support, small business[/tags]

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