From the other side of the fence...

Stuart Miles: FreeDigitalPhotos.net ©

Maven colin guest blogs about his observations of "customers behaving badly" and what it is like to be on the receiving side. 

As consumers, sometimes it is frustrating when service or product doesn't meet our expectations. Certainly for me, poor attentiveness from wait staff and a crappy cold coffee are red flags for any future visits.

At times though, I have found myself appalled at some of the antics consumers use to get themselves heard by staff, owners and even their fellow customers. Whether it’s shouting over final bill or flinging mugs and glassware over the counter at a waiter (true story!) and various other interesting escapades that fellow customers have undertaken to prove “their point”, it is certainly a letdown to see some of the antics these kinds of consumers will get involved in.

For many of us who have worked in retail or customer facing roles including call centres, shops and call centres, it can be frustrating, particularly when issues occur due to circumstances outside of our control. Expletives, raising your voice and threatening to move your business elsewhere don’t make for nice conversation, trust me- and in many cases we share similar disappointment if there are legal or procedural barriers that we must abide by.

So what are the best things to do should service fail to meet expectations? For sure, formal addresses to the managers and owner do make a difference – they do get through! They are the ones who are better able to make decisions and training standards to correct mistakes and offer points of improvement, and take on your feedback and action it if a policy is indeed the problem. Remembering service staff are people too, and that nothing should ever lead to crazy mug flying antics is something we should perhaps keep in mind.

Mistakes do happen at times- and I myself have to remember there’s no point making a mountain over a molehill. With the joys of social media and sites such as Customer Underground (hint, hint), sharing experiences and promoting businesses that go out of their way for their customers is something I can wholeheartedly endorse, and giving appropriate feedback in a friendly but level manner to the people who can take it on board and do something positive with it is also going to go a lot further to help a business improve than simply getting hot under the collar. Hopefully by praising the good and being constructive with the not so good service, standards will continue to have the bar set higher and higher for businesses wishing to stand out from the crowd.

Good customer service should be rewarded, and for me that is why I personally continue with my favourite providers and businesses with what they offer. Having been on the other end of the phone line, empathy, calmness (and compliments) do go a long way!

What kinds of things do you do to get the most out of a poor service experience? Got any “consumers behaving badly” stories you wish to share?