Be A Better Customer!

Over the past two weeks I have written about “Being a Better Boss” and “Being a Better Co-Worker”.?This week I want to focus on “Being a Better Customer”.

We are all customers at one time or another.?We purchase retail products, we patronize restaurants, hotels, and airlines.?We visit doctor and dental offices.?We shop at the supermarket.?

?We are also all human and we all experience a range of emotions during each encounter we have with a product or service provider.?Let’s call each of these encounters a “Moment of Truth”.?We all experience an assortment of moments of truth as customers each day.?How we react to these brief encounters with customer service professionals (or amateurs) defines us as customers.

Are we the “beloved” customer who is always patient, warm, and friendly no matter what level of service received??Or are we that “dreaded” customer who service providers hide from when they see us coming, based upon our facial expressions, tone of voice and body language??Or, like most of us, do we fall somewhere in between these two extremes on the “Customer Continuum”?

?I assert that in every customer service moment of truth, there WILL be an outcome.?The question is how will our behavior toward the service provider affect the outcome??Will our conduct make things better or worse?

?So, what makes a beloved customer who everyone loves to serve??That’s simple. This customer was brought up to believe he or she should treat everyone in a kind, caring, respectful manner, no matter what the circumstance.?These extraordinary people truly believe that becoming impatient, agitated, or angry only makes things worse and they “choose” to instead look for ways to make the best of every situation.?

Conversely, the dreaded customer is the one who regularly gets angry and belligerent toward service providers over the most minor of circumstances and typically blows up when faced with major service malfunctions or misfortune.?These people allow any negative external stimulus to raise their blood pressure in a nanosecond and make everyone around them uncomfortable and sometimes downright scared.?They seem to believe that by making everyone as miserable as they “choose” to be, they will somehow achieve a better outcome, but this is rarely the case. ?

?Let’s look at a common situation faced by all air travelers at one time or another…the delayed or cancelled flight.?Regardless of the reason for the delay or cancellation, we all know that the poor soul working the ticket counter is not responsible for the problem.?They are there to help passengers sort out all available options.?Imagine facing a line of angry passengers trying desperately to get to their destinations, only to have the person in front of them screaming at them while they scroll up and down their computer screen searching for solutions.?

?Do any of us really believe that putting more pressure on these service providers will help them think more clearly and be able to work more efficiently than if we took it down a few notches and gave them the time and space to calmly sort out options??How would we ourselves react if we were in their shoes??You know the answer to this.?Somehow in these stressful situations, many of us forget the “Golden Rule” and instead opt for bad behavior despite knowing better.

?This holiday season let’s all commit to “Be a Better Customer”, no matter what is thrown at us.?Take a deep breath and treat the other person the way you would want to be treated when something goes wrong that was out of your control.

?Here are five specific tips to “Being a Better Customer”

?1.????Treat everyone you meet with dignity, respect and kindness.

2.????Empathize with what they are going through when faced with a service breakdown.

3.????Be patient and polite and give the service provider(s) space to think and respond.

4.????Stay focused on a positive outcome rather than trying to make others feel your pain.

5.????Offer constructive solutions, but don’t get upset if they are not implemented.

6.????If the outcome does not meet your expectations, take your business elsewhere, but don’t dwell on the misery this has caused you.?You will only make yourself more miserable.

?Sorry, but “Sh_t Happens” and nothing good every comes from dragging others through it.

?Herb Lipsman