Customer Service Horror Stories: Both Sides Are At Fault

Periodically some organization releases its "Top Ten Worst Customer Support Companies" list. The organizations with customer-perceived support issues are ranked by vote, and the article usually includes a story or two about some poor unsuspecting innocent who's been victimized by the mean old nasty corporate world. Blame is laid at the feet of the organizations who outsource their support positions overseas, who are cutting back on expenses to improve the bottom line, and who start charging for what used to be free support in certain areas, particularly the computer hardware and software industries. The article usually ends with a warning to businesses that in today's economy, providing effective and friendly customer service should be a top priority, and implying they'd better straighten up if they don't want their clients taking their dollars and looking for greener pastures.

So where's the flip side?

Don't get me wrong. There are a number of businesses who need major improvement in their customer support skills, whether it be problem escalation, common courtesy, or simple people and social skills. Still, as a provider of computer and network support to a large user base, I keep looking for the survey showing the "Top Ten Worst Customers By Company". Unfortunately, I'm not going to hold my breath, because it won't ever happen. Business, especially big business, is not seen as the good guy, even in those cases where it's the customer who's being the troublemaker.

For every customer who complains that they were put on hold for 30 minutes, there's a support person who wasted an hour while the customer complained about incorrect charges on her bill--and then after finding the bill, realized she'd read it wrong and the charges were indeed correct. For each client who says he couldn't understand what the support person on the other end of the phone was saying, there's a phone support employee who had to listen to a rude customer turn the air blue with profanity and threats--only to find out after the rant that a few simple instructions delivered over the phone solved the problem. And I can guarantee you that for each caller who claims the company providing the services has lousy service with inferior products and incompetent support personnel who hang up on their customers, there are ten Help Desk providers who can supply written documentation on how a customer blamed the company for shoddy workmanship and poor design of a product--and refused to share the fact that he screwed with something he shouldn't have and shot himself in the foot trying to play Mr. Fix-It.

The reality is this: The customer is NOT always right, and neither is the corporation. You CAN'T always have it your way. And sometimes threatening to take your business elsewhere hurts the consumer as much as the supplier.

So how do business and client resolve their differences and get their respective acts together? I have a few suggestions.

It's Not A War! I think the biggest problem we have in support is that folks on both sides see this as a conflict. Somebody is going to win, and somebody is going to lose--and I'll be damned if I'm going to lose! Both sides need to change their viewpoints. Instead of looking at this as a win-lose proposition, view it as a win-win. If the business provides good service, the customer continues spending money with the business. If the customer tries to be a human being and not a foulmouthed gasbag, the business is willing to provide a better level of support. See? Each side benefits!

Be Professional. This starts out being more of a problem for the customer. Something's wrong, something needs to be fixed, and I'm hosed until it is. Taking it out on the support tech may make you feel a little better, but in the long run only hurts your chances of resolution. Phone personnel are trained to remain calm in the face of irate customers, but you can only call somebody a & ^(*^* & %(*)( so many times before it starts to affect how that person deals with you. If you don't want to be hung up on, or worse, have your service terminated completely, don't use personal attacks. Remain businesslike and deal only in the facts.

Tell the Whole Story. There's a tendency to downplay our involvement when a problem surfaces. Something's not working, but it wasn't really my fault. I didn't think the CD tray would snap when the tray was out and my 75-pound Lab put his paws on it while we were playing next to the computer. Yes, my cell phone broke, but my horsing around with six of my friends in a mock WrestleMania reenactment at the time shouldn't prevent me from getting it fixed for free. (Frankly, I think we'd see a lot fewer support calls if people would just 'fess up and admit they "did it.") The customer needs to fully inform the support person of the specifics that led to the problem. And the support person needs to reciprocate. If a solution is going to take more than 20 to 30 minutes, or will require multiple calls, or even if there is no solution, the support person needs to inform the customer of the specifics. Not getting the requested solution is bad enough; not getting the requested solution and not knowing why is even worse.

Be Patient. In a world where we've been taught we shouldn't have to wait for anything, patience isn't just a virtue, it's a godlike power. Support personnel need to let the customer explain what's going (or not going) on, even if a solution is apparent. Hearing that unexpected "And then this happened..." could save hours in frustrating non-resolution activity. Customers need to let businesses follow their procedures in solving issues, even if the process takes some time. Trying to circumvent the procedure just to get done faster generally results in having to repeat processes, and sometimes requires going back to square one. Reminds me of one of my favorite quotes: "You never have time to do it right, but you always have time to do it over."

Be Appreciative. Once a resolution is reached, both sides need to acknowledge the other's involvement in the process. Clients should express their thanks (and mean it!) for the work involved in finding a solution. Support personnel should also voice their appreciation for the customer's patience and understanding, and reinforce the idea to call if there are any further problems. Doing this helps build a rapport between the two sides which can be helpful in communications in the future, whether for support, sales, or additional services. (Reference first item above.)

Knowing that providing quality support requires cooperation on both ends of the phone (or on both sides of the counter), businesses and customers should be able to see that working together produces an end result where both parties benefit. Now, putting that into practice...well, that's another story. No matter what side of the support issue you're on, you can turn that potential horror story into a fairy tale with a happy ending. (Yeah, it's a sappy comparison, but hey, it's true!)