At the bar. Picture: Kelly Barnes Source: The Australian
FORGET what you know about customer service because as it turns out the customer is not always right, and it's their job to win star treatment.
According to Fiona Adler, co-founder of business review website WOMO.com.au, customers have more power over the level of service they receive than they realise, but being rude is not the way to go about it.
Ms Adler said this attitude can end up backfiring on customers but those who learned to control their emotions and were nice to service staff regardless would ultimately end on top every time.
"Customer service staff are more likely to empathise with you if you're nice in the first place," she said.
"Interaction is a two-way street, people should put themselves in the shoes of the person giving the service and ask how they want to be treated."
She said learning to understand and engage with service providers during stressful periods would also mean they would try harder to get something fixed, even if it’s outside store or company policy.Showing your worth to a business and letting them know what you want and expect to start with will keep you one step ahead of the game, she said.
With that in mind here are Ms Adler's top 10 ways customers can earn rock-star service and keep getting it.
Ms Adler says frustrated customers can communicate their problems and still come across as a nice person. She says it’s vital people don't lose their cool and that the service provider is more likely to empathise and go out of their way to rectify the problem if you’re nice to start with.
Ms Adler says most businesses realise a loyal customer that stays with them for years is worth a lot of money.
"Signalling to the business owner that you’re likely to become a regular, long-term client will encourage them to work harder to impress you," she says.
According to Ms Adler, telling them you have come to them after receiving a positive review or recommendation reminds them about the power of word of mouth and that they should live up to your high expectations.
Ms Adler reckons by simply explaining what you want ahead of time gives the service provider a much better chance of delivering the type of service you expect.
"For example, if you're eating outlet the waiter know what you expect: either that you're in a hurry and just want a quick meal, or that you've been looking forward to relaxing over this meal all day," she said.
"This might be a coffee and a biscuit for the tradie that comes to your house or letting your dentist know that you’ve referred them to some friends, or even just giving a compliment to the barista," Ms Adler said.
This goes without saying but according to Ms Adler, few people would realise they can get their issues resolved faster via live chat, email or website contact forms olive chat which means customers are never “on hold”and an issue is resolved in real time.
"You’d be surprised the lengths that service providers will go to impress you when you mention it’s for special occasion such as a milestone birthday or anniversary," she said.
"For example, when booking a restaurant let them know you'd prefer their best table as it’s for a birthday and, when you arrive, let them know who the guest of honour is - they’re more likely to receive brilliant service."
Ms Adler insists this is one of the biggest things to be aware of when looking for and expecting good service.
"When you’re at fault or on the back foot, let the service provider know you appreciate them trying to do something for you even before they do," she says.
"For instance, instead of 'I don’t have the receipt but I need to return this', try ‘It’s probably not possible, but thought I’d ask in case there was anything you could do’."
She says the first approach is likely to get a "Sorry, but our policy is ...", whereas the second approach might get a "Let's see".
Customer should never choose a business blindly or make a decision based on advertising alone, she advises. "Do a small amount of homework to find out what businesses are really like BEFORE you engage them by asking friends for recommendations or searching for reviews."
"Rather than take good service for granted, let the business know you value it by thanking the business AND sharing your experience online," Ms Adler says.
According to her plenty of business websites have feedback pages where you can leave your positive feedback or any concerns and well-established businesses will get back to you with a thank you or possibly some discounts on future purchases.
