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Customer Support Confidential, Part Two:
Know your Enemy
Here is a sample of the transition from a real email exchange. A bill just came up for that has me purchasing the game After a quick reply stating that the second order she placed had been refunded.
SORRY! my son simply wants to play XXXXXXX. could you please walk me through the steps to make that possible?! Thanks!!!!! God Bless, XXXXX XXXX It’s important to note that the reply sent ignored any of the threats or anger. Simply behaving in a friendly and professional manner will cause most people to do the same. All of this is even more true on the phone. While you will often find an especially upset customer hard to please over email, something about the phone makes almost everyone behave themselves. This is certainly not true of customers leaving messages. The messages found after a three-day weekend, for example, will often include more swearing and threats than an entire week of emails, but once people have a real human being on the phone some kind of social conditioning about the way you treat people kicks in. The impersonality of email makes it much easier for the customer to continue abusing you while you are politely trying to fix what is most likely their mistake.
Indignant: Often confused with Angry, the Indignant customer is distinct in that he’s not just upset that things aren’t working out, he’s offended. He might be offended that you gave him a general reply when of course he’s already tried reinstalling. Maybe he’s insulted that you’ve implied that he should check his drivers and Direct X because it can’t possibly be a problem on his end. Perhaps he feels slighted by your inability to fulfill whatever physically or economically impossible request he has. Of course, it’s possible that he’s just incensed that he’s paid you money and it’s not already working. Regardless, this customer will likely find even the most innocuous replies insulting. No matter how polite you are, you’re rude. It’s almost impossible to make these people behave in a humane fashion. The best you can hope for is to gently point out some error on his part, at which point he will never contact you again. |
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