There is a story about a man who was traveling in the desert. His travels had been long and the days had been hot. He came upon a small brook trickling through a small oasis. He desperately sought a drink to refresh himself, but noticed the largest pool (which was small by any standard) had a scorpion clinging to a small rock on the side of the brook.
It seems that the scorpion had fallen into the water and was having difficulty getting out. With the scorpion in the water the man had no real choice but to remove it just to get a drink.
Being a kind man he sought to remove the scorpion from the water instead of killing the creature. Several times the scorpion stung the man. Another traveler spotted the situation and asked why he would try to help a creature that was determined to hurt him.
The man replied, ?I know it is the nature of the scorpion to sting, but it is my nature to rescue and I do not wish to change my nature.?
This story is a perfect parallel to customer service. You may consider the water in our story your product. It has the ability to refresh and revive. The scorpion can be certain customers who may not always respond in a positive manner. As a business owner you are the man attempting to explain to others why you tolerate rude scorpions.
You've heard the old adage; ?There are two rules in business. 1) The customer is always right and, 2) if the customer is wrong refer to rule 1.?
Customers are increasingly placing a high priority on the service they receive and they want to know you are committed to their satisfaction. Many, if not most, customers will be satisfied with general product fulfillment, but there will be some that may never be satisfied. Work to help them find a solution and never lose your patience with the stinging sensation you receive when all you are seeking to do is help.
As a business owner intent on quality customer service you can't allow negative customers to alter your commitment to customer service. You may not understand why they insist on ?stinging?, but at the end of the day you are the only one whose responses you can control. If it is in your nature to provide quality customer service then you will strive to do so even in the most trying of circumstances.
Customer service is not given the attention it should be given. If there is one aspect of more importance to your business than any other, it is this. This might seem a little of an exaggeration, and you may well consider that your accounts, your products, your marketing or your retail structure are of more importance. But ask yourself one important point- where would any of your accounts, your adverts, your marketing strategies, your prices, products or service be if it wasn't for the very blood of your business - customers?
The answer is, of course, precisely nowhere. Customers are the whole purpose of any business or retailer, and there is little point in any of us doing a day's work if we do not have the customers in the forefront of our minds, and the motivation for whatever we do.
Too many businesses have targets and performance standards in place, yet all too frequently these can be centered on the business itself, rather than on the customers. Statistics which focus on the sheer volume of sales, profit margins, types of product or service selling well, advertising costs and promotions can all seem rather pointless to those more concerned about the customers themselves.
It would be true to say that the business which fails to take into account the customer's needs, wishes, thoughts or concerns is the business people will be talking about in the past tense before too long. Customers can make, or break, a business. And this is a fact becoming ever more apparent and clear in today's global market, and global economy, with communication now easier and quicker than ever. Good news can travel very quickly, and so can bad news.
This means that if your customer service is of an excellent quality, helps to resolve the issue, makes it clear that you're trying hard to resolve the problem, put's the customer at ease, and keeps promises, rather than using words without any action to follow, then this will almost certainly become known.
With forums, review sites and discussion boards increasingly popular as a way for customers to share their experiences, treating your customers well, giving them the attention they deserve, the time they need and the answers they want will almost certainly find you listed in these sites with positive comments and reviews. This will, undoubtedly, assist you in the future and good reviews will do you a great favour. More and more customers today are turning to review sites and discussion boards before actually making a purchase or committing to a company. This means that they can share experiences, and in some cases only one or two bad reviews can mean the difference between gaining that customer, and losing them to your competitor.
Bad reviews are even more prevalent. The sad thing is that a satisfied customer is actually less likely to post a review about a company than a dissatisfied one. This is generally the way we work - if we have a good experience, we're pleased, but consider that the treatment we received was only what we deserved. After all, the person at the other end of the phone was being paid to be pleasant.
However, if we experience a bad customer service representative, with poor communication skills, little understanding of the product or service, little effort made to resolve the situation, or failed promises to return calls or escalate issues, then we immediately feel the need to rant, to let off steam, and get back at the company in at least some way. It's only a natural human reaction.
For this reason, the vast number of bad reviews on the internet has been written in the heat of the moment, possibly exaggerated, but certainly causing harm to the name of the company about whom they have been written.
These reviews will very likely stay to hang around the neck of the business for many years. For this reason, if you are setting up a business today, you need to be thinking about your customer service, and putting together plans to make sure it works well for the customer as much as for the business. Then you will stand a better chance of avoiding becoming the target for vindictive reviews that you'll be unable to do anything about.
Getting customer service right from the start is a sound business move, and one that can easily work in your favour, just as it could work against you if you cut too many corners. This is equally true for online and offline businesses; for corporate and for home businesses.
Both Scott Lindsay & Nazir Daud 12 are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Scott Lindsay has sinced written about articles on various topics from Payday Loans, Computers and The Internet and Mens Health. Scott Lindsay is a web developer and entrepreneur. He is the founder of HighPowerSites and many other web projects. Get your own website online in just 5 minutes with HighPowerSites at:. Scott Lindsay's top article generates over 1830000 views. to your Favourites.
Nazir Daud 12 has sinced written about articles on various topics from Customer Service, Exotic Pets List and Franchise. Naz Daud - CityLocal. Nazir Daud 12's top article generates over 1900 views. to your Favourites.