In my daily dealings with certain businesses, both big and
small, I am routinely appalled at the lack of customer service that I receive. Customer
service can mean so many things, from helping with an unruly fan to simply
smiling and complimenting someone on their attire. There are so many things
that can go into making the customer happy. Any little nuance or subtle tone
can be the difference between a customer coming back and them never contributing
to your cause ever again. While this is a forum for sport business and I will
focus predominately on applications in that sense, these simple rules can be
applied to any industry.
So without further a due, here are my five simple rules for
excellent customer service…
1. Act like you want to be there. I said they were simple didn’t I? This can be
as easy as smiling and being engaging or as complex (for lack of a better term)
as showing positive body language after a long day. While this is predominately
a face to face contact idea, it can also be used over the phone or even email.
Having a good tone and positive outlook on the phone can make for a better
conversation and a happier customer in the long run. I can remember a time in
going to an Arena Football Game and going to buy a ticket for the game where
the seller kept her arms crossed until she had to use her hands. In addition,
her tone was unfriendly and unhelpful. It affected me so much so that I walked
away and allowed my father to handle it himself. I am, as a customer, a prime
example that one bad experience can ruin a customer.
2. Do not become aggravated back. In the
business of sports there will always be passion, and from that passion comes
anger when something does not go right. I cannot tell you how many times in my career
as a customer service representative I answer the phone to an irate customer.
The absolute worst thing I can do is be angry back, and while many times it
seems like the right thing to do, it accomplishes nothing. In turn, to avoid
worsening the situations revert to a human punching bag, taking blow after
blow. Turning these punches around are the next tips that I will address.
3. Try to understand their point of view.
I said understand, not agree. Most of the time, the customer has a legit issue
and while it may not be in line with your policy (I will get there) it has some
teeth to it. Being a service representative, you are the first person with the
opportunity to make them happy. Even going so far as saying the words, “I see
where you are coming from”, or something like that will help. While understanding
their point of view may not make them completely happy, it is on the way to a
positive outcome.
4. Know the policy inside and out. To me
this is the most important aspect of customer service. When dealing with a customer
who may not be the happiest, the last thing they want to hear is “Well, that’s just
our policy.” Frankly, the fact that it is you policy holds little water, but if
you explain the policy and why it is that way, then the situation has an
opportunity to be resolved. In fact, many policies are in place in order to
keep the customer safe or are at least in their best interests. When you give
the customer logic with intent to help them, there is absolutely no competence
they can give.
5. Don’t always go for the upsell. In my
years dealing with customers and being a customer, nothing gets under my skin
more than someone upselling with no regard or pushing with the sole intent of commission.
In my eyes, it is all about the comfort of the customer. Let’s take season
tickets for example. If you are attempting to upsell a customer by increasing a
contribution by $1,000 dollars and pushing them to do so, they may in fact do
it; but at what cost? An investment of $1,000 dollars here could keep them from
investing in single game tickets, or even a baseball or basketball game. A
happy free customer will keep spending, but if you restrict them now you have
an even better opportunity of nothing.
I have come to the conclusion that customer service as a
discipline is slowly dying. But if we as professionals can use these 5 simple
tips maybe we can breathe some life into a tired old way of doing things.
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