When it comes to business, there is a lot of advice being given regarding how to do things the[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”]

Image courtesy of Rosenfeld Media

Image courtesy of Rosenfeld Media

right way as well as what things to avoid doing. Sometimes the advice gets overly complicated, so today we simply asked some customers a few questions about their experiences with customer service. Here is what they had to say:

“What is your ideal interaction with customer service like?”

“Speed! When I call customer service, I’m hoping to reach someone right away, explain what I need, get an answer or help, and be on my way. I don’t have a lot of free time outside of work, so I don’t want to spend it on hold or dragging through a solution.”

“I want to talk to someone who is listening to what I have to say. And I want them to come up with a solution that makes sense for my situation.”

“I want to feel valued. When I have an issue, I want whoever I’m dealing with to act like my business matters, like my satisfaction is important.”

“If I have a big problem, I’m always hoping that the representative is going to give me some sort of extra, like an olive branch. It makes me feel better about staying a customer when they do something nice to smooth over a mistake.”

“What are your pet peeves when dealing with customer service?”

“When you can tell that the representative is either reading from a script or is distracted. I might not be the most important call of the day for them, but my call is the most important one to me and I don’t want to feel ignored.”

“I hate getting put on hold repeatedly. After a while I just wish they’d offer to contact me back so I’m not just sitting and waiting and wondering what’s going on.”

“Sometimes you just know your issue is bigger than what the person you’re dealing with will be able to handle. I wish they’d just pass me on to someone with the right authority right away. Otherwise we’re just wasting everyone’s time.”

“When you are given the wrong information. I don’t want to be more of an expert about the company or its products than the people who work there and are supposed to be helping me with the company or the products. That is so frustrating!”

Hearing straight talk from customers about their expectations and annoyances can help us raise our customer service game in simple ways. Have you gotten clear feedback from your customers? Do you ask for it? How can you share their answers in meaningful ways with your team?[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]