Customer service, poll

[Tatume]

Hello Folks,

Sometimes the advice we give has a lot of influence on how people go about things. I’d like to hear your opinions on how to interact with customer service personnel. I’ve heard both of these opinions given on these forums. When dealing with customer service:

1. Be kind and polite. The person on the phone is doing a job, probably for not a lot of money, and is probably going to help you to be best of his or her ability. Even if the process is not going to your liking, treat the person with respect.

2. Berate the person, treat the person like he or she is at fault, act hostile and mean spirited. This is how you get results.

3. Other. Please comment.

Take care, Tom

[btroj]

In short, do both depending on the situation.

I always start with polite and kind. Explain the problem and give them a chance to make it right.

I only get angry when they refuse or fail to make things right.

[BBQJOE]

If the person answers with please to helb bue berry much, you can bet they're getting berated!

Just kidding.

Of course be polite, anything else will just insure problems. If the person just doesn't get it, I ask to speak with a supervisor.

[joesig]

You catch more flies with honey than vinegar.

Having worked along side some customer service people I have an immense respect for anyone doing that job. I can't imagine getting up in the morning knowing every time the phone rings for the next eight hours the person on the other end has a problem and is most likely not in a good mood.

I may not end the call on the happiest note but I do my best to start them all of being as nice as possible.

It surely isn't the fault of the person who answers the phone. I don't see any good reason for someone to start off with option two.

[country gent]

Be polite and to the point with the problem what issues its causing and the wanted soulution to it. Always remember the other person probably is just another worker doing his/her job. It may take several times explaining the issue before you get high enough to accomplish anything. Ive always had good results on the few occasions Ive had issues with a product.

[Shiloh]

This is a no brainer.
Kind and polite. If it doesn't get you where you want to go, ask to speak to a manager or supervisor.

Shiloh

[jonp]

Customer No-Service is not your friend. Be polite but firm and do not take no for an answer. You can gauge how to react by how the other person is reacting. Always be prepared to ask for that person's supervisor when the inevitable "we can't do anything/sorry/we can't help you" is offered.
Never treat or say anything to customer service, however, that you would not say face to face.

[Changeling]

You should always be civil, state your problem and ask what is to be done about it.

Exception would be Lyman, you would just be wasting your time!

[prsman23]

I was in customer service for years and I'll tell you something. I would bend over backwards for the 1 out of 5 customers that were polite to me. Even if I could tell they were fuming underneath I would help out more than what was considered the norm. Come in yelling at me and you got the bare minimum to make it right. I made it right every time, but I'd go the extra mile for those who dealt difficult situations with class.

[montana_charlie]

The requirement to be polite when dealing with a customer service representative is so obvious, I can't imagine why it is a question in a poll. Nobody will choose option 2 ... not even those who are too ill-mannered to be polite.

CM

[1Shirt]

Be polite, but if you are getting nowhere, ask to speak to the individuals supervisor. (Works sometimes)
1Shirt!

[Jumbopanda]

Tell the customer that their mother was a hamster and their father smelt of elderberries.

[Jim..47]

I worked in customer service the last 20 or so years of my work career. Believe it or not, it is a very satisfying job and you can make lots of friends. I even had customers bring me gifts at Christmas time.

I always took the position of being the dissatisfied customer's as being their attorney. If the company had failed to do something properly, even to the point of offending them in some way, I took it seriously. This is the only way to make your customer base grow into faithful customers who will wait for "you" even if it means an inconvenience in time, and once they have become your faithful customer and friend they won't think it an inconvenience. This was my most satisfying job I ever had, and I made a fair wage at it.

Those who work in this field don't know how, or are afraid to go back to their boss to make things right. Its as simple as that, and yes, it is much easier to make a customer happy who gives you a fair chance to get the job done, and yes, there were a couple times I failed, BUT..

if the customer was looking for blood money, or in other words being given something they didn't deserve I was the first to back my boss in saying they were looking for something they had no right to.

[mpmarty]

anyone who thinks there is a limit to stupidity has never worked customer service.

[RobS]

A combination if necessary. Be polite and explain the problem in full detail. Follow up with a reasonable remedy as to how the company can fix the situation and ask for the customer services rep's response or recommendation. If you don't hear what is reasonable for the situation do not haggle, do not argue, do not become angry just ask for their supervisor and move on. Use the same procedure with the supervisor and repeat if necessary until you reach the top of the food chain or until you feel it's futile and there is no suitable remedy. At this junction a potential adjustment in conversational mood may be in play as to being less than PC (not degrading nor personal) in explaining dissatisfaction and then ask for a remedy on their behalf.

Sometimes it won't matter from the first to the last person you speak with but the above seems to work well with the experiences I've had.

[Firebricker]

In short, do both depending on the situation.

I always start with polite and kind. Explain the problem and give them a chance to make it right.

I only get angry when they refuse or fail to make things right.

This pretty much sums up my thoughts on it so I answered other or in other words both but always start out nice and stay nice until they give reason to get upset. I've been very lucky with customer service with shooting related company's. FB

[mroliver77]

I am always polite and considerate. I am not a door mat! Drs, Dentists, folks I do business with and even older ladies at McDonalds have told me what a gentleman I am and I am their favorite or best customer. These same people have went out of their way to do things for me.
On the other hand it is not fun getting cross wise of me either. I am not a tough guy but I can get most people pretty dirty! ;) Well in my better days. :(
Jay

[dilly]

The worst I ever get is more appropriately described as stern or terse, and that would only be after being pleasant has failed more than once. Once someone labels you a raving lunatic the object changes from appeasing you to getting rid of you, and while they may sometimes be willing to do more to get rid of you (perhaps offer a refund against their normal policy, for example), they tend to be unable to think about anything other than your temper and no new ideas strike them on how to fix the problem.

[wch]

I was in customer service for years and I'll tell you something. I would bend over backwards for the 1 out of 5 customers that were polite to me. Even if I could tell they were fuming underneath I would help out more than what was considered the norm. Come in yelling at me and you got the bare minimum to make it right. I made it right every time, but I'd go the extra mile for those who dealt difficult situations with class.

+1 for prsman23

[Nickle]

anyone who thinks there is a limit to stupidity has never worked customer service.

That's almost an understatement!

I start off polite, hoping they can help me.

If I have to call back several times, because they just don't seem to want to fix the problem, then it starts getting ugly. I don't demean them personally, unless they bring that on themselves. I do ask them to give me a good reason doing business with a company that apparently doesn't want my business. See, sometimes the customer is right, sometimes he isn't.

Now, a guy like Jim will get courtesy ever single time. If I have to call back, he's going to tell me it isn't right that I had to. And, he's right. He also is going to try to help solve the problem I'm asking about.

I'm one of those guys that doesn't want a bribe (free stuff). I just want my problem fixed, and maybe some answers too. I don't think that's asking too much.

[WallyM3]

"Do unto others..."

[Scharfschuetze]

On one of my change of station moves, I lost the reservoir cap to one of my RCBS Lub-A-Matic sizers. I checked the RCBS web site today to see about ordering another one, but couldn't figure out how to do it from the web site.

I clicked on the "Contact RCBS" link, filled in the required information (E-mail, address, etc.) and sent a message explaining my problem and I gave them the part number and description. Within two minutes the computer beeped that an E-mail had come in. I checked and a customer service rep had just sent me an E-mail stating that the part was ordered for me and would be on the way soon... Without charge!

How's that for customer service? Go RCBS!

[whisler]

How is that for RCBS customer service? In my experience, about normal!

[Baryngyl]

If the person answers with please to helb bue berry much, you can bet they're getting berated!

But I have been known to hang up and redial the number several times till I get someone I can understand.





Be polite and to the point with the problem what issues its causing and the wanted soulution to it. Always remember the other person probably is just another worker doing his/her job. It may take several times explaining the issue before you get high enough to accomplish anything. Ive always had good results on the few occasions Ive had issues with a product.

This is what I do, although sometimes I might need to ask to talk to their supervisor.
The only ones I can think of in the last few years that I have got even the littlest bit snooty with was DirectTV when they keep insisting I owe them a bunch of money when I do not. They did not install what I ordered so after numerous calls and giving them 6 months to fix the problem and they haven't I canceled service with them and they tried to say I owed for the rest of the 2 year contract. They keep calling and insisting I owe them, I have now got to the point I just tell them "You didn't install what was ordered, you didn't fix it when given 6+ months to do so, I do not owe you anything" and hang up on them.



Michael Grace

[LUBEDUDE]

To the poll taker:

Really??

If you have a bone to pick, then vent.

[Jack Stanley]

I always try polite first to the extent that it obviously isn't working . Next step is talk to a supervisor anstart taking names and recording times . Then it goes to letter writing which is just a half step from sending the records of my encounter to either VISA or the attorney general . It's worked before though I didn't like to go that far .

Jack

[Char-Gar]

I am a keen observer of people and I have learned that people with minimal education and jobs down the ladder tend to want assert what little power and authority they can when they can. These are the folks that give servers in eating establishment , clerks in stores and customer service people hard times.

People higher up the ladder with greater responsibilities have learned that treating people with respect and kindness produces the best result. Problems arise when folks on the lower rungs get promoted to position of authority without teaching them people management skills.

Dealing with customer service people, you generally decide the outcome in the first few seconds of the conversation. If you are respectful and kind, they will want to help you and they will. If you try to bully them, you won't be happy with the results.

Across the board, I have been very happy with about 98% of the customer service people I have dealt with. On the rare occasion I get somebody who is having a bad day, I just politely ask to speak to their supervisor or someone else. I don't get into a pissing match with them, for that is a waste of time and gives me a bad karma day.

[Elkins45]

Kind and polite is 100% the way to go. I'm trying to remember the last time I had an unsatisfactory customer service experience and I can't seem to recall one since I was hosed for some broadheads by Gander Mountain back in the late 80's. Lyman was even nice to me when I had to return my brand new lubrisizer that had a misaligned casting.

I suppose it depends to some degree on the particular type of business you are dealing with...Most of my dealings tend to be with 'rural' type businesses like shooting, fishing or agricultural vendors. My results might be different if I were dealing with the fashion industry or mail order blue pills or some other segment of commerce. Rural type businesses tend to understand the importance of honest dealings.

[Southern Shooter]

Being kind and polite will work 99% of the time. The extra 1% is reserved for that rare situation were "assertiveness", NOT aggressiveness, is required.


"Assertiveness is standing up for your right to be treated fairly. It is expressing your opinions, needs, and feelings, without ignoring or hurting the opinions, needs, and feelings of others."
http://www.mtstcil.org/skills/assert-2.html

[blikseme300]

anyone who thinks there is a limit to stupidity has never worked customer service.

As Einstein said, the universe and stupidity are boundless, but he was not quite certain about the universe. As another poster noted, you can catch more flies using honey than vinegar. Be polite and you are much more likely to get what you want.

[ku4hx]

If I do contact CS, it's generally because I need something from them. And since they are the ones holding all the marbles, it pays to try and not irritate them. Not to mention simple common courtesy. Admittedly, sometimes it ain't easy. But that's usually not anything related to the shooting industry. Banks and Microsoft come to mind.

[Trey45]

My mother who wears hearing aids and has the Baja implant needed help with one of her hearing aids. I had to call customer service for her since the hearing aid was not working and she couldn't hear a thing anyone was saying on the phone. The "man" I spoke to wanted to talk about everything under the sun except for the hearing aid. I finally had to tell him, look I'm not calling you too make a new friend and swap recipes with, how about we deal with the hearing aid issue and settle that. 5 minutes later it was settled. Phonak Naida III makes a great hearing aid, and they will stand behind their product once you get the customer service guy on task and keep him there.

[375RUGER]

I try real hard to be kind and polite. Starting off irate gets you nowhere.
If the situation escalates and I'm not getting results, then it gets more personal but never directed to the individual. If I say "you" or "ya'll", I explain that I don't mean "you" personally but the company "you" work for as a organization. So I try not to get to a level of berating, only chiding, and is directed toward the company.
Being a business owner, I'm in sales, customer service, business development, product development, floor sweeping, equipment repair, etc. At any one time I can be on either side of CS. I have an advantage though, I can go above and beyond to make sure I have a happy customer, even if that means I take a loss.

[LynC2]

I was a supervisor for an utility for many years and if the customer had a legitimate complaint I took care of it. It they gave my secretary or me a bunch of BS or threatened a law suit; I made it a point of going out of my way to not help them. Just a FYI

[IROCZ]

Dillion, Lee and Brownells customer service have been excellent in my experience. The worst so far has been Lyman.

[Love Life]

I'm dripping nothing but honey when talking to customer service reps. I let them regale me with their knowledge on the product and so on.

The end result is everything usually turns out well.

[montana_charlie]

I'm dripping nothing but honey when talking to customer service reps. I let them regale me with their knowledge on the product and so on.

The end result is everything usually turns out well.
I go one step further.
I act a little more ignorant than I actually am, and profess some degree of wonder when given 'the real skinny'.
That (sometimes) nudges a service rep into letting go of a secret or two that 'we' might never have known about.

CM

[Larry D.]

If the person answers with please to helb bue berry much, you can bet they're getting berated!

Just kidding.

Of course be polite, anything else will just insure problems. If the person just doesn't get it, I ask to speak with a supervisor.

My thoughts exactly.
I work in this field for a metal fab operation, you'd be surprised how smoothly or roughly things can go.

[Larry D.]

On one of my change of station moves, I lost the reservoir cap to one of my RCBS Lub-A-Matic sizers. I checked the RCBS web site today to see about ordering another one, but couldn't figure out how to do it from the web site.

I clicked on the "Contact RCBS" link, filled in the required information (E-mail, address, etc.) and sent a message explaining my problem and I gave them the part number and description. Within two minutes the computer beeped that an E-mail had come in. I checked and a customer service rep had just sent me an E-mail stating that the part was ordered for me and would be on the way soon... Without charge!

How's that for customer service? Go RCBS!

Matches closely with my experience with them.
First time, it for the motor on my Power Trimpro where I fully expected a"Sorry, that's electrical" response. The second time was for a missing seater plug on a used set of dies. I even told them I bought them used. They sent the me wrong part. When I called them again, I got an apology and the right part mailed same day. I even offered to pay for it.

[Larry D.]

Having worked along side some customer service people I have an immense respect for anyone doing that job. I can't imagine getting up in the morning knowing every time the phone rings for the next eight hours the person on the other end has a problem and is most likely not in a good mood.


This is what I do after 22 years with the company.
I had some good teachers along the way who hammered 2 things home.

1. Nobody's gonna call to see how your day is going.

2. They're mad at a situation, not you.

I had one guy who launched into a profanity laced 5 minute tirade the instant I answered the phone.
I said nothing until I heard a big sigh on the other end of the line, he then began to apologize for acting that way. Seems he'd made an error and got his butt chewed by his boss and decided to take it out on whoever he talked to next. It turned out well, he orders lots of stuff from us now.

[jonk]

Depends; do I get SERVICE when I call CUSTOMER SERVICE? If they help me, I'm their best buddy on the phone. If they give me the run around, keep me on hold for more than 10 minutes, whatever, I get a bit testy.

[varmint243]

Wow, I sit on both sides of this one.
My support cases can go on over the course of weeks.
I don't think there is enough storage available on this server for all I could say on the subject.

On the supporting side;
I provide support and I often have to go to support for assistance.
The clients that are nice to me get good support.
The clients who are demanding and professional get good support.
Sometimes there is a personality mismatch and you try to get them to another tech they can work with.
There is a certain point where I loose patients with repeat offenders that just can't seem to listen.
I have some client that no matter how upside down and backwards things are, they treat me with great respect, They get everything done I can possibly do for them.

As someone going to support for a problem.
You have about three minutes to convince me you are competent and you care.
I don't care where you are from, or what accent you have.
I just want help with my problem.
As long as you are respectful I am too.
At some point I will loose patients and ask for the issue to be escalated.
The last case that sticks in my brain I suggested the tier 1 support tech needed to go back for more training. (I wasn't being mean, he really didn't know what he should have)
Mostly I just want my problem fixed.
I never leave bad feedback tho, I figure it does me no good after my problem is fixed.


So I guess I can be a hypocrite, but I expect to be supported just the same as I support my clients.

[wv109323]

Be kind and polite. To get the best results have your "ducks in a row". Know when you bought an item, how many rounds loaded(usage), what is incorrect or the problem in your estimation, life of similar items. Also get the persons name and speak with the same person about repetitive problems. Also get them to commit to a settlement on the first call such as "If this thing breaks again will you replace it with a new one". That way they are committed to their word. Or a partial settlement, if a company knows they can cover their costs, they will settle a claim.
Any company that wants business usually has a good customer service department. The company I worked for had < 1% of sales that was warranty.

[capt.hollis]

Though I'm not into customer service/ sales, and never would be , because 50% of the people are cry babies, and cant suck it up when things don't go there way, but I'm in a related field. Trust me I am a fishing, and hunting guide in the Matagorda Bay complex of South East Tx, and have literally seen grown men cry like a baby due to a fishing issue that they have, lol, and that's no exaggeration. Here's how I operate , I am the easiest person to get along with until I get treated like a dog, and then you've just screwed yourself . Treat me great/pollite and you'll have a lifetime friend, and will be taken care of to the fullest. All I can say is be very very careful how you approach people right off the bat due to its going to be how well you get treated, and taken care of in the end.

[Slow Elk 45/70]

I like to try nice and polite.. if that doesn't work ask for their supervisor.....

[BrassMagnet]

... I've been very lucky with customer service with shooting related company's. FB

I can't remember ever getting "Customer No-service" from any shooting related company.
I have received great customer service from a lot of them. Here are some easy to remember examples:

Colt replaced an Eliason rear sight for a Gold Cup.

Springfield Armory replaced a telescopic sight twice and the second time was an upgrade because the model was discontinued.

Springfield Armory also replaced the receiver on an M1A. Because the Super Match barrel was worn out, they replaced it too at no charge, bedded the action, and returned it via expedited UPS service so I could take it to Camp Perry.

These companies inspire customer loyalty!

BrassMagnet