Some Do's and Don'ts of Customer Support

Do: Be Curious

Customer Support is not for everyone. It can be challenging, but it offers valuable opportunities for connection and problem-solving. Is it difficult? Oftentimes, yes. One of the key elements of success in Customer Support is the ability to be curious and ask the right questions.?

What? Where? When? Why?

Let's look at an example here:

Customer: My site is down, and now I'm not making any sales. You need to fix this!

Generally, I would expect an agent to say something along the lines of this:

Agent:?I'm sorry to hear. Can you tell me the following information?

• The website URL
• What is the exact error you're seeing?
• When did you first notice the site being offline?
• What devices is this happening on?
• What work was being done recently on the site and its' content prior to it going offline?
• Ask oneself "Is this replicable?"

These types of open-ended questions allow for the customer to provide important context about the issues they're facing. There's a long list of questions we could ask in this situation, depending on how the conversation evolves.?

Dont: Be Blunt

The next few points will cover what not to do in a Customer Support setting. One may think these come naturally to everybody, but that's untrue. Some of these skills, such as patience, need to be practiced and don't come naturally to some people like they do with others. For this reason, it's important we highlight the unconscious things we may incorrectly do.

Being blunt is one of the unconscious things I've often seen while reviewing chat logs. Short, snappy answers like "No" without any further elaborating can be read as being rude.

We previously talked about how you would talk to your grandmother. Chances are you're unlikely to be rude or blunt when talking with your grandmother.

Keep that same frame of mind when talking with a customer. Be conscious of ones own unconscious actions.

Let's take a look an example, and think about how you would approach this situation yourself:

Customer: I need help with a refund for my recent purchase.

Agent: Okay. Can you provide me with the order number?

Customer: Sure, it's #123456789.

Agent: Thanks. Let me check the status of your refund.

[Agent checks the order]

Agent: It seems your request doesn't meet the refund criteria outlined in our policy.

Customer: What? But I'm eligible for a refund according to your policy.

Agent:?Clearly, there's a misunderstanding. Let me clarify. You're not eligible because the item has been opened and used, which voids the refund.

Customer:?This is ridiculous. I demand a refund.

Agent: I understand your frustration, but the policy stands. Is there anything else I can assist you with?

Customer: No, I'll just take my business elsewhere.

Agent:?That's your choice. Have a nice day.

This interaction is not as far-fetched as it may seem. I've personally reviewed chat logs with very similar tone and language used by support agents.

Knowing what you know now - ask yourself 'what should that agent have done to ensure a more professional and nicer interaction?'.

Do: Be Patient

I won't lie. It gets very stressful when you're working on two or three chats at the same time, where each of those chats contains a complex issue, and your slack notifications are popping.?

As someone who, admittedly, battles to maintain my composure during a stressful situation, it can often be easier said than done to remain calm when you're feeling stressed and you're experiencing sensory overload due to the notification sounds hopping.?

With that being said, being calm is key to handling those tougher interactions. I can't tell you how many times, while working as a Customer Support agent I was threatened by customers who wanted to report me to the FBI and the BBB (I had never even heard of this one at the time) because I was following company procedure and ensuring we stuck to our anti-fraud guidelines.?

When working Customer Support, it often feels like you're the punching bag. You're working on the front-lines, after all. You're the face/voice of the company while interacting with customers.

As a result, customers will, from time to time, take their frustrations out on you. It's an unfortunate reality of working in Customer Support, but it's not entirely unique to Customer Support. We see it in retail, hospitality, and even medical care. Pretty much any public-facing job will involve a customer airing their grievances and venting their frustrations in your direction at some point.?

The most important takeaway here is this: do not take it personally.?

The customer is angry at the company and its' policies or services. Unless you did something wrong, the customer is not actually angry with you as you've done nothing wrong. You're merely the messenger.?

Reminding yourself of this can really help to make a difference and ensure you don't give in to the temptation of having the last word. More on this later.?

Check out my full blog post here, discussing top 5 do's and don'ts