Today, I had an absurd experience with a Comcast customer service rep, and it got me thinking. How many times have you completely turned on a business, based solely on the careless way they treated you? So often, the experience, the feelings, are the things that our clients remember about us, so ensuring you’re blowing their expectations out of the water from start to finish is priceless! Improve your customer service skills with these tips!
I was working away, enjoying a fluffy blueberry muffin with glorious crunchy crumble on top, when my house phone rang.
On the other end of the line was someone from Comcast, someone that not only was almost impossible to understand but was doing a terrible job of reading off of the script they were so obviously reading.
Our conversation went like this:
Her: “Hi, this is Jamie calling from Comcast. We want to thank you for your business, and see what we can do to make your experience even better.”
Me: “Well, we’re considering canceling our services with you.”
Her: “Oh, ok. I understand. Thanks anyway for your time.”
Click.
A little backstory on my relationship with Comcast:
We’ve had Comcast for years. More often than not, between our home phone, internet, and cable, something doesn’t work. The super fast internet we pay for with a 150mpbs download speed sometimes hovers around 32mbps. We never get 100mbps. Our home phone cuts out regularly and has since we started service. A service rep said the issues was with my phone, so I bought a new one, and still had the same problem (and was out $75 for the new phone). Many techs have come and “fixed” the lines outside, yet the problem persists. Our cable randomly goes out, for no apparent reason, usually when something important is happening, like a Blackhawks game, or the red carpet shenanigans at the Oscars on E!.
Don’t even get me started on the horrible customer service experience we get 90% of the time when we call. Assuming we’re even able to understand the person on the other end of the line enough to have a conversation, our issues are often unresolved, and the calls themselves take so much time that we’ve stopped bothering as the whole thing falls into the “more trouble than it’s worth” category.
To make things worse, the calls always end with something like “well I’m so glad I could help you today, thanks so much for choosing Comcast!”
Gag me.
We don’t switch because they’re the only company in our area, besides Dish, and we live in Chicago, so our service going out whenever it snows doesn’t appeal to me either. We’re stuck, which I think is just what Comcast bets on.
So, back to the customer service rep that interrupted my flow today. I was floored that given the opportunity to wow me, to find out what my problems were, to listen to my opinions and take that feedback and use it to make the business better, she totally blew me off!
The phone call tells me a few things (most of which I already knew):
1. Comcast doesn’t invest nearly enough into training their customer service reps because clearly customer service isn’t a huge priority.
2. Comcast could give a hoot about my experience.
3. Hell will freeze over, and Donald Trump will get a stylish hairdo before Comcast will ever do a single thing to improve my experience with them.
4. Comcast has no regard for my time, as they’re calling me at home to bother me about my experience, seemingly just for show.
I’m doubtful that Comcast will ever learn anything from their mistakes, but you can use their weaknesses to improve your business!
Here are three things you can do to improve your customer service:
1. Make your process as easy as possible, every step of the way
Comcast makes life easier because they have an automated system that takes your information, and passes it along to the customer service reps, so you never have to repeat it again. Er, wait. I’m pretty sure I have to repeat the information when a person comes on the line, and usually each time after that to the numerous people I’m transferred to. What. A. Pain.
The system is very careful as not to disconnect already aggravated customers, so they don’t waste time and have to call back again. Oh. never-mind.
If you’re not making life as easy as humanly possible for your clients, when it comes to working with you, you’re missing the mark on good customer service.
Dealing with you should never be difficult, whether someone is placing an order, receiving a service, paying an invoice, or resolving an issue.
Here are a few ways to ensure your process feels less like Comcast and more like Cartier:
- Have a well laid out, easy to navigate website that is a plethora of valuable information, so viewers don’t feel like they have to hunt for information (or worse, leave feeling confused). Create guides, write detailed email scripts, and aim to answer questions before your prospective clients ask them!
- Become an expert communicator by focusing on the cues you’re receiving, and acting accordingly.
- If you want feedback, consider creating a quick survey that can be filled out online, instead of sending a general email asking for open-ended feedback and expecting people to sit down and write you a few paragraphs.
- Respond quickly, patiently, and with grace every single time.
- Have a process in place for dealing with unhappy clients. Be professional, say “I’m sorry,” and do what you can to make things right. Don’t you dare make the same mistake twice with a client!
- Think like Buzz Lightyear, “to infinity, and beyond”! That’s how far you should go for your clients. Send thank you notes, remember important personal tidbits they share with you, and use thoughtful gestures to show your appreciation.
2. Actually LISTEN to feedback, and make changes accordingly
When someone communicates an issue with you, regardless of how big or how small, heck, regardless of how accurate you think it is…listen. Most of the time, no matter how ridiculous the claim is (let’s face it- sometimes, despite our very best efforts, we have to deal with people who just can’t be pleased, and who blame you for things unfairly), there is a grain of truth somewhere, waiting to be discovered. It’s easy to get defensive, especially when someone is treating you like dirt, but take a deep breath, stay calm, and be honest with yourself about how you can improve your business based on what you’re hearing.
Say you’re a web designer and someone is angry that you took so long to finish their site. During your phone consultation, you mentioned you had a two week turnaround time, and the site went live in 12 days. Yet, they’re belittling you, and having a serious meltdown, claiming you never told them that. You know you did, you fulfilled your obligations, but you could do better. Perhaps, send an email after each consultation, with a recap of what was discussed, so there’s a paper trail. If you don’t mention the date in your contract, be sure to add that! Contracts should be as specific as possible, to avoid any confusion, and give you solid ground to stand on should this type of issue arise!
Take every bit of feedback, and keep track in a notebook. Write the date, the client, the information, and what actionable steps you can take to make an improvement. Don’t ever skip this! Every few months, flip through and make sure you’ve been steadily making changes. If something seems to pop up several times, brainstorm ways to nix the issue, for good!
3. Be real
Comcast called me to say they cared about my experience, but their actions consistently show me they could give a flying you-know-what. I’d feel better if they owned up to it and said “you know what Kim, we are aware you really can’t switch providers, so our interest in fixing your problems is a big fat ZERO, and our goal is to make your customer service experience as pain in the butt as possible, so you give up and stop calling.” Sure, I’d be furious, but I could respect the honesty.
There’s nothing worse than dealing with someone who is fake. Feigned interest is insulting, and someone who lacks follow through loses respect real quick. Always say what you mean, and mean what you say, when dealing with clients humans.
If you say you’re going to send something over by the end of the day, be sure to do it. If you tell someone, you care about their feelings, put in the effort to back that up and be sure to show them respect by actively listening, offering solutions (or gratitude), and following through.
Sometimes, things happen. Life gets busy; things are overlooked, and we drop the ball. No one is perfect! In those instances, step up and address what happened, and offer few excuses but several sound solutions. Far too few people are willing to say “I’m sorry” when they’re in the wrong. Sometimes those two words can make a giant difference.
When you think of customer service, does anyone jump out in your mind for being total rockstars? What comes to mind when you think of a lousy experience you had? Tell me your stories in the comments! Sometimes, simply thinking about (and analyzing!) experiences you’ve had with other businesses can be a tremendous tool for improving your own!
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