With the holiday shopping rush upon us, I thought I’d share a few words on why bad customer service is just plain dumb. We see it everywhere, but I never really understood it until I was on “the other side of the desk”. It isn’t a matter of being rude to customers. It’s about failing to satisfy the reasonable requests of one’s customers, making customers jump through unnecessary hoops, and making\adhering to rules that don’t make sense anymore. Here’s ten reasons in particular why I just hate bad customer service:

1. Good customer service is not hard! - Good customer service is a matter of making an effort and being pleasant. You can read a lot of articles and learn a lot of techniques, but this is what it basically boils down to. These are two things within the reach of every person alive. It’s entirely a matter of whether one has the will do it. 

2. Bad customer service makes things hard! - After all, when is anything easier when one or both parties are angry. A customer with a grudge isn’t conducive to a simple transaction.

3. Goodwill is important to any organization. - Good customer service builds goodwill, which is the lifeblood of any organization. Organizations rely on goodwill to maintain and grow their customer base. Organizations with bad customer service are shooting themselves in the foot.

4. Goodwill is fragile, but bad feelings tend to fester. - It’s a sad fact, but people are more likely to remember when you’ve done something wrong than if you’ve done something right. In addition, one incident of sub-par service can be all it takes to turn a customer’s opinion against the organization. Why risk it?

5. Customers don’t understand or care about “what the policy says”. - This is a fact. Write it down. The customer only knows what they need. It’s the customer service rep’s job to keep the customer as happy as possible, even if it means bending the policy a little. Any good employer will forgive bending the rules in exchange for a little goodwill.

6. Most customers are reasonable, decent people and shouldn’t be treated otherwise. - It drives me nuts when rules are made to keep .01% of the population from doing something wrong. Just don’t do it. It makes no sense and it makes your customers feel like criminals or children, not exactly conducive to a positive experience.

7. Good customer service is something everyone deserves. - This is one of those inalienable rights things. As sentient beings we have a right to be treated well.

8. Bad service is just as unpleasant for the provider as the customer. - I like to think that I have never given bad customer service. However, I can remember times when I haven’t given the best service I could and they bother me for a long time after. I can’t imagine how I’d feel if I gave blatantly bad service.

9. Customers make requests for a reason. - If a customer comes with a question or a request, its because they think you can help them (novel concept, eh?)! So here’s a thought, try to help them! If it is genuinely impossible for you personally to do anything for them, be honest, they like that. Then bend over backwards trying to get them the help they need from another source they like that even more.

10. Its just plain annoying. - Nothing else to say really…