8 Customer Service Blunders

Every customer values good customer service. Customer service can be a company's greatest asset or its greatest impairment. To keep you company image strong and your customer service top-notch, avoid some of these mistakes:

1. Having an untrained staff. No matter how many employees you have in your company, make sure that every one of them are trained. Customers will not tolerate incorrect information or lies, which can sometimes happen when the employee does not know how to help.
   
2. Trying to win the argument. Keep in mind that the "customer is always right." It is far more difficult to gain one new customer than to keep a current one.
   
3. Standing by your policy. Taking care of the customer is far more important than standing by a policy.
   
4. Not fulfilling your promises. If you make a promise to a customer, make sure that you will fulfill it. If you promise something will be there by Wednesday, you make sure it is there by Wednesday.
   
5. Being inaccessible. Be sure to always be able to be contacted by the customer. Nothing is more frustrating than not being able to reach the person, or even just a person, to talk to. Also be sure to be diligent in calling customers back. Calling a customer back quickly will always win points in their book.
   
6. Having poor record keeping. Make sure your notes on the customers are correct and that you are addressing the right person. Nothing is more frustrating for a customer than having been promised their phone bill would be canceled, then being charged fees for not paying the bill.
   
7. Not listening to the customer. Sometimes customer service representatives do not listen to the customers and answer with non-relevant responses. Make sure to pay close attention to the customer and to their problem.
   
8. Not being polite. "Please" and "thank you" will go a long way. They are so simple but always win points with the customer.

Making sure that your customers are taken care of should be your top priority. They are the reason you were, are, and will be in business.

Brad Harmon is the President at a leading financing company, First Star Capital (www.firststarcapital.com). Brad is a frequent contributor to online publications and newsletters, and is the author of this blog on commercial financing topics.