Cuss…tomer Service, With A Smile!😄

You gotta’ feel for the folks on the other end of the phone in corporate Customer Care / Customer Service for various companies. Sometimes, they catch Hell. Seriously, they do.

Folks may sometimes call up mad as a hornet, irritated – for whatever reason – and then proceed to “take it out” on whoever answers the phone.

It’s a DIFFICULT job, to be certain, but someone’s gotta’ do it.

So… hat’s OFF to those unsung heroes of business enterprise!

Now, let’s get real… real hard, and really real.

Most folks, I would presume, don’t walk around with a chip on their shoulder. They’re not constantly engaging or berating themselves with conflicting internal dialogue, or hearing voices in their head. In other words, not only are they sane, they’re moderately happy, satisfied with life, and things in general. While there are occasions in which they become dissatisfied, angry, or upset, those very same sane people communicate, and collaborate with others to make others aware of problems, so that solutions and corrections to them may be made.

Of course, few would suppose that any Customer Care / Customer Service attendant or clerk would have the authority to correct any problems on-the-spot, particularly over the telephone. Yet, I suppose some would so imagine. A Word To The Wise: They don’t. They can definitely make amends, but in many cases, they can’t resolve problems. That takes some level of investigation to correct. Not all are situated that way, of course, but many are. And all cases are different.

Point being, if a customer calls up and starts cursing, the clerk should NOT berate, castigate, belittle, or warn the customer to stop using such language.

Why?

It’s NOT the clerk’s job to tell the customer what to do, how to behave, what to think, or what to say. That’s NOT why they’re there, and they didn’t get training in that. They’re there to listen, to relay information, and where possible, to make amends. That’s all done, of course, to improve and maintain a positive customer relationship.

Consider also that some people have a disease in which they cannot control themselves – most notably, their speech – and have expressive outbursts of language which some may find offensive, even highly so. That disease is called Tourette‘s Syndrome. Problem is, most folks don’t make, and aren’t qualified to make such diagnoses as “Tourette‘s Syndrome” over the telephone with strangers. And yet, when a clerk takes a stance in which they “take offense,” that’s the first mistake made in such a transaction.

Why?

There’s a word to describe a person who takes something that does not rightfully belong to them: It’s called THIEF. And in most cases, when Customer Care / Customer Service clerks are on the receiving end of irate cuss… tomers, they don’t know about what the cuss… tomer is irate, because the FIRST thing they’ve done is to JUDGE the cuss… tomer, INSTEAD OF listening patiently to them. So when a clerk TAKES OFFENSE, they’ve just become a thief, because no offense was intended.

Besides… what does one do after taking offense, or becoming offended?

Seriously? What is required?

If you’re an adult, just move along.

No further action is required.

If you’re a juvenile…

Here’s a video of a Maine State Trooper who has made a traffic stop, issuing a Speeding Ticket to a highly irate motorist. It’s an exceptionally wonderful illustration of remaining cool under fire.

Similarly, for many, many years, I’ve maintained that the MOST important person in ANY organization is the employee.

Why?

If your employees aren’t happy, you can forget about having happy customers… or any customers.

It was only relatively recently that I learned that Richard Branson, billionaire founder of Virgin Group, says the same thing.

“My philosophy has always been, if you can put staff first, your customer second and shareholders third, effectively, in the end, the shareholders do well, the customers do better, and yourself are happy.”

Bottom line?

DO NOT TAKE OFFENSE!

IT DOES NOT BELONG TO YOU!