Just like you, I am a customer. I buy products all the time—in stores, on line, and on the telephone. Most of the time I am pleased with the caliber of the customer service that I receive, but occasionally I wonder, “Why does this happen? Don’t they know that an unhappy customer probably won’t return?”
Here are two examples of poor customer service that I have experienced:
I bought a creamy dip for chips in my local supermarket. After eating some of it later, I became sick with food poisoning. Food poisoning is a very painful and dangerous malady, and I didn’t want someone else to experience this, so I immediately called the store and asked for Customer Service. A “snarky” person took my call and asked me, “Well, what do you want me to do about it? Do you want a refund?”
I tried to calmly explain to her that the product needed to be removed from the shelves before someone else got sick. She replied, “Oh”. Then she hung up on me. No compassion, no understanding, just “Oh” was all I got from her.
The other thing that really annoys me (and this happens in many stores) is a checkout lane issue. When the transaction is nearly complete, the clerk will “shove” the bills, change, receipt, and long store coupons at me, with the coins on top. This often results in the coins falling off, causing me to have to retrieve them while the clerk glares at me and others in line are impatiently waiting.
It would take only a moment to hand the coins to me first and let me put them away before the other items are presented to me.
Good customer service is a critical factor for your retail business. Without it, your customers will start dwindling away, and you may never know why! Be alert to what’s happening in your store and ask for customer feedback to make sure your customers are happy, returning customers!
Marlene