A Human Customer Service Trick We Lost Along the Way

by | Aug 15, 2012

Do you ever wonder why we are so disconnected in a 24/7 connected world?

Customer service flies on a wing and a prayer of technology too big to respond.

  • We receive DO NOT REPLY emails
  • We fill out online forms to nowhere
  • We yearn for the sound of a human voice

Hear the phrase customer service and sadly, we scoff.

How can businesses change the face of customer service?

Connect to the customer.

The Human Touch

For all our technology tools, we fail to connect to the customer.

  • Chris Brogan wrote automation isn’t wrong
  • What’s often missing is the best secret – being human

 If you want to connect to the customer, be human.

Who would believe that some of us need lessons on being human?

Those that do probably won’t read this anyway. For the rest of us, here are a few suggestions for putting the human back in customer service.

Acknowledge Your Customer’s Existence

We all want to be heard.

To have that happen requires at least two humans. Okay, so maybe you could talk to yourself, but we’d like to think someone else is listening.

Has this ever happened to you?

  • You dial a business’ phone number
  • You get connected and start talking
  • Only to find out it’s a recording

Did you feel stupid? Annoyed? Embarrassed?

Not comfortable emotions. Yet, that’s how we make our customers feel when we fail to connect.

First Response

I used to be a road warrior in my corporate life.

Smartphones were a business traveler’s best friend – when used properly.

  • You receive an email from a customer
  • It needs follow-up
  • What do you do?

Acknowledge the email.

One option ~

Dear Mary: Thank you for your email. I am traveling on business and will return to the office tomorrow. Will it work for you if I look into this tomorrow when I return or do you need this resolved today?

Rarely did I receive a response back that it couldn’t wait. Of course, the key is keeping your word when you return to the office.

You acknowledged the customer.

Don’t mistake your Out of Office message as acknowledgement.

  • Use it
  • But, remember it’s a tool
  • It’s not human

Keep it Personal

Social media and technology gives us access to the world.

  • You use those tools so your message can be heard
  • Why would it be any different for your customer?

No one likes feeling like a number in a mass population.

If your business is too big to respond, it’s big enough to staff customer service – human customer service.

In a post, When Success Loses Customers, I shared a story about Barbara Delinsky, a writer whose books are New York Times best sellers.

I posted a comment on her site dedicated to breast cancer (Barbara is a survivor), and received a letter in the mail with a gift. It could have been someone on Barbara’s staff, but it felt like a personal response.

That’s customer service. 

Connect to the Customer

If you want to breathe life back into customer service, remember these simple points.

  • Be human
  • Acknowledge your customer
  • Keep it personal

Technology is a powerful tool in the (human) hands of great customer service.

What customer service tricks do you have up your sleeve?

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20 Comments

  1. Sharon Hurley Hall

    Great advice, Cathy. Your anecdote about Barbara Delinsky reminded me about a similar one. A friend of mine wrote to Deborah Moggach about her reservations about the film adaptation of one of her books and got a personal response from the author herself. She was already a fan, but now will be a fan for life!

    Reply
  2. Carol Lynn

    I would like to trumpet this from every mountaintop and pound it into the heads of every big brand with a very hard hammer.

    Sadly, I think the people who pay the most attention to customer service are the people who have the least problems with it to begin with. It’s the small biz people who KNOW you can’t survive without good customer service. And it’s the big brands that perpetually get away with it because they’ll survive no matter what. Argh!

    Other than that this is super advice 🙂 even small biz could take a lesson by adding a bit of a personal touch. Small gestures and attention goes a long way!

    Reply
  3. Cathy Miller

    So simple, isn’t it, Sharon? 🙂 thanks for sharing that story.

    Reply
  4. Cathy Miller

    You are so right, Carol Lynn. Good customer service is not reliant on size. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

    Reply
  5. Paula Hendrickson

    I’ve been interacting with more customer service people this summer than anyone should ever have to deal with. I had a good experience with an AT&T/SBC rep yesterday. She actually listened (I know!) and took extra steps none of their people had done the 10+ other times I’d called in with the same problem; we thought the issue was resolved – until my phone rang and the DSL went out. Again.

    In contrast, I’ve had several recent problems replying to tweets and with my Twitter feed loading. I exhausted all relevant or semi-relevant possibilities on their poorly-named Help Page. I clicked “contact us” which looped me right back to the page that wasn’t helpful. There was a list of people to Tweet about the Twitter problem, but that’s like asking someone to turn the lights on when their power is out.

    My dryer broke yesterday, too. Fourth major appliance to conk out this summer. All made by the same company. None remotely the same ages. After the first three appliances broke and there was no reply from their website comment page, I wrote a lengthy complaint letter. Snail mail. They called me the day my letter arrived, and I now have the full name and direct phone number of an upper level customer service representative who even returns phone calls. Now if they’d only build better appliances….

    Reply
  6. Cathy

    Hey, Paula. Good to see you here. Boy, can I relate to the AT&T. They have long been on my rant list, but then I got a new Blackberry and the technical help representative went above and beyond to help me out. Such a pleasant surprise.

    That’s the really sad thing. You’re surprised when you get good customer service. Thanks for stopping by, Paula, and sharing your stories. Hopefully, the fall brings you technical nirvana. 🙂

    Reply
  7. Paula Hendrickson

    Technical nirvana or maybe a winning lottery ticket…..

    Reply
  8. Cathy

    Not a bad alternative. 😀

    Reply
  9. Lisa Kanarek

    It’s sad that we’ve become so automated and reliant on technology that a simple thank you note (yes, handwritten) is a big deal. When I’m interviewed for a website, magazine or program, I always thank the person who interviewed me. Several have commented that they never receive thank you’s. That’s hard to believe.

    The smallest gestures can mean so much. I’ve sent e-cards to clients on their birthdays and on our anniversary dates. At Christmas I make a donation to a charity in various client’s names. I agree that we need to add more o the human touch to business.

    Reply
  10. Cathy Miller

    What great examples, Lisa. A simple thank you is so appreciated, you wonder why it’s so rare. Thanks for sharing

    Reply
  11. Gen

    Cathy your post really puts the fact that building a business really is about putting the personal touch back into your business. I believe customer relationships are the cornerstone of our businesses.

    Reply
  12. Cathy

    Thanks, Gen. Wouldn’t be much of a business without the customers, eh? 🙂 Thanks for dropping by. I appreciate it.

    Reply
  13. Anne Wayman

    The trouble is the biggies like att and cox etc. have little or no real competition. They can insult me with auto ‘your call is very important to us’ as much as they like because I don’t have any choice. Or very little.

    When I get good customer service, and it does happen, I make a point to ask for the supervisor and complement both them and the cs rep… hoping to encourage more of the same.

    Reply
  14. Cathy Miller

    I do, too, Anne. Funny story about that att rep who was so helpful. She transferred me to an automated survey about her service & I was disconnected. 🙂

    Reply
  15. Anne Wayman

    Classic! Just classic. You ought to tweet that one… att may pay attention there.

    Reply
  16. Cathy

    Isn’t it though, Anne? 🙂 I felt bad because I really did want her to receive her kudos.

    Reply
  17. Ann

    I have had so much to do with tech support this summer. I am happy to report that they have always been patient with me and I end up getting the info I need. I am thinking about going into business for myself as a 3rd job. I know that the only way it will work out is if I am available to the clients. Thanks for the reminder of how the good old ways are just as applicable in the tech world of today as ever, Cathy.

    Reply
  18. Cathy

    That’s really great to hear, Ann, about your positive technical support. When you find one that works for you, it’s really special.

    Thanks for stopping by and sharing your story. 🙂

    Reply
  19. Madonna

    So true Cathy about the no reply emails particularly. I hate that. Don’t send me an email to which I can’t reply.

    It’s time to restore customer service and the ones who do, will prosper.

    Reply
  20. Cathy

    Thanks, Madonna. The do not reply is one of my pet peeves, too-especially when they give you no alternative.

    P.S. Try contacting CommentLuv about your posting issue. I sent you the error message. Sorry you’re having trouble.

    Reply

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