How the Words Your Customer Doesn't Hear Can Negatively Impact the Customer Experience
Providing our best service has never been more important for customer experience. The competition is tough with so many new businesses popping up. If customers don't get the level of service they want, and if they don't care about the price, they will go elsewhere.
People want to be treated with respect and appreciation. They want to know that you really do care about them and their work.
Being in an office environment has reminded me of the things that can keep a wall between us and our customers. Earlier this week, I talked about the pitfall of dumbing down our content and speech. Today, I wanted to take it a step further and talk about the things that the customer doesn't hear, the things you say after you hang up the phone, or while you're writing an email, or when you're out with your friends.
The things we don't say to a customer could have a negative impact on the customer experience and their relationship with you.
The saying "if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all" would be even more effective if we curbed our thoughts and attitudes toward others when we're out with friends or talking to colleagues or hanging up the phone.
Those negative thoughts create a wall between us and our customers. It prevents us from truly loving and serving them, and that lack of love and respect can come through the words we speak and write.
If you want people (your readers) to respect you and what you do, you must respect them first. And that respect must show through your words.
But what do you do with the difficult clients or the readers who always want to discredit or criticize you? Here's what to do: don't let your emotions get involved. Speak objectively and don't complain about them to others. You have the right to react, but you also have the right to not react.
I was listening to some business coaching MP3s the other week and one of my big take-aways was that no matter what happens, it is just a result. If you get another email or comment telling you that you spelled something incorrectly or that you used improper grammar, it's just a result. Keep moving forward. Focus on staying positive and confident. Stay away from the drama and the gossip and don't add to it.
There will always be the difficult clients and critics and the people who just don't "get it", but if you treat them with grace and are willing to mentor them when needed, your business (and you) will be the better for it.
When was the last time you worked with a difficult client and how did you handle the situation?
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