[E-VOLVE] The DEATH of Customer Service- Vicki Irvin

Be on the look-out for information on the Extreme Women Entrepreneurs Event in July 2012! I held a private call with past attendees of the event and the feedback and response has been amazing, wait until you hear what we have going on and who we have speaking! This is going to be an event you do NOT want to miss!

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Customer service appears to be DEAD! Customer service has gotten so bad that we no longer even expect it.

Remember the day when people went out of their way to make sure their customers were happy? When you could go into a restaurant and have someone greet you with a smile? These days I am constantly greeted by people who appear to be robots. No expression on their faces unless it’s a scowl.  They talk in monotone voices and don’t even bother to give you eye contact.  Sometimes I wonder if they even have a pulse!

And yes, while everyone has a bad day, it is unacceptable!  I have personally walked out of restaurants when nobody bothered to acknowledge I was even there, and I have left doctor’s offices for the same reason.

When I was in Miami for my birthday in January, my friends and I went shopping for new sunglasses, something we do as a tradition when we vacation there.  Each year I look forward to treating myself with a nice pair of designer shades.  The first shop we went into had some nice stuff to choose from! But the lady working there was so preoccupied with her Ipad that she had the nerve to act annoyed when we asked her where the male and female sunglasses were.

It was CLEAR, we were bothering her and she had better things to tend to, so we left.  We went two doors down and spent a LOT of money buying about two pairs each, her loss and she was on commission.  Maybe she didn’t need the money, I don’t know.

That is why you as a business owner should strive to offer great customer service to your supporters. If you have employees working for you, you should not accept anything less of them either. So many entrepreneurs and business owner have no clue that the person answering their phone or handling their emails is single-handedly losing business for them due to their attitudes or poor delivery and follow up.

Likewise you should have fair business policies that are not outrageous, imposing ridiculous rules on customers makes you appear to be desperate for money. Furthermore the word will spread like wildfire damaging your reputation and once your reputation is shot, shortly your business will follow.

So in 2012, let’s get back to the basics and bring back good old fashioned customer service where people actually CARE about the people investing in their products and services!

Cheers to Business, Beauty & Balance,

Vicki

Tags: African American women entrepreneurs, black business coach, black women entrepreneurs, life coach, Maryland women business coaches, Maryland Women Marketers, MD women entrepreneurs, superwoman, superwoman lifestyle, Vicki Irvin, work life balance