Bad customer service is Killing Your Business?

It 's time to beat the old bad customer service drum again. I know, I'm tired of beating the drum, too, but as long as bad customer service is growing through many entrepreneurial companies believe it is my duty to bring to your attention. So grab a seat and prepare to hear the sermon that I preached before: bad customer service is the bane of business. If the Almighty smote down every business that provides a bad customer service in the world would be much more friendly, but instead much more sparse. Consider a world without malls and fast food ... it really that bad?

What puzzles me most is that if a bad customer service is a death knell for the business, because so many companies will go ahead? They have not read my article, for heaven's sake? I think the problem is that customer service is worst bestowed (or at least tolerated) of entrepreneurs and managers who have ceased to care what they think their customers. When you stop worrying about what your customers think it is time to close the doors. Go find a day job. You will make someone a wonderfully disgruntled employee.

My last dish of poor customer service was actually lived by my better half while trying to buy my daughter a pair of basketball shoes. I do not mention the name of the chain of sporting goods stores where the bad customer service has taken place, but I will say that his name is similar to the sound of a frog with hiccups could do.

As my wife was waiting for someone to assist, four or five guys who were in charge of the shop crew was in a grove at the counter laughing and flirting with each other as if they were at the ball instead of at work.

When my wife pointed out this fact, one of the employees, a naughty girl of 16 or so, put her hands on her hips and said, "How rude!" The males of the group did not react at all. They were too busy arguing about who could take a break so you can chase other cheeky lasses on the mall.

Needless to say that my beautiful bride, who has the ability to instill fear in the hearts of even the humblest workers, has left the gaggle of giggling teen idiots standing with his mouth open in disbelief. How dare a customer told to do so with a pair of basketball shoes?

As much as I complain about bad customer service I celebrate good customer service. It should be applauded and the supplier of that good customer service should be rewarded for the effective delivery of customer satisfaction above and beyond duty.

So let me tell you the story of my new hero, Ken. I will not tell you the name of the store where Ken works, but let's just say they have begun selling radio in a shack somewhere long, long time ago.

I met Ken when I went into the store to buy a mixing board for my company that records audio products for the web. In short, you connect microphones to the mixer, then connect it to your computer and you can record sound directly in digital format. Totally beside the point of this article, but I did not want you thinking I was buying not manly cooking utensils.

When I received the mixer installed did not work. So I boxed up and headed back to the store to return it. When I told Ken my problem did not just grunt and give me my money back as many bad customer service representatives would. Instead he asked: "Do you mind if I tried?"

"Knock yourself out," was my reply, I'm not sure if I got it to work, could not Ken. Ken took the mixer out of the box and went on to hooking up a computer display. He started to pull the power cords and cables off the exhibitors and tear open and put them inside tore open a new microphone and an adapter and kept going until he had the mixer is connected and working. Yes, I said work. It turns out the sound was fine. I just had the wrong power adapter.

Ken could have just gave me my money back and it was done with me. Instead, he spent 15 minutes and opened a number of other packages that it had no obligation to buy just to help me get the thing working.

I was so impressed that not only kept the mixer, I also bought another $ 50 worth of products. And next time I need anything electronic guess where I want to buy it? Even if it costs twice as much, I buy from Ken.

Now here's the moral of the story: If you are an entrepreneur who has a bunch of teenagers in charge of customer service at your store you would be better to replace them with wild monkeys.

At least monkeys can be trained .......