Why More Customers Aren’t Complaining About Shameful Service

Recently, Ive written some articles blasting customer service units that dont provide service.

I chronicle how I havent been able to get a capable service technician out to repair a brand new clothes dryer, and were going on three weeks, two missed appointments, and about eight loads of laundry that had to be transported and then retrieved several miles away, just so I could use them.

I mentioned that there are ten major LIES that service folks tell, ranging from Your call is important to us, to Im the supervisor.

I earn a living training service folks and their managers to be better in their occupations, so you might expect me to not bite the hand that feeds me; to be respectfully silent about corporate miscues.

But Im not, because Im an observant and vocal CONSUMER, as well, and I never forget this fact. Im the one who not only trains the mutual fund financial reps to sound better, to make calls more succinct, to answer more calls in less time and to be more helpful and efficient.

I am the one who calls in for my account balances, asks about distributions, and requests missing statements for my accountant.

Im acutely aware of my dual roles, but why arent others, consultants or not, more vocal about the shameful service theyre getting?

One answer dawned on me.

They feel they have no moral ground upon which to complain when other companies are no better at the game than they believe their people are. Youve heard the adage that residents in glass houses shouldnt throw stones, right?

A conspiracy of silence is promoted by this glass-house paranoia. If I flame your companys terrible service, who knows, you might torch mine, and then where would we be?

Frankly, I think wed be better off, because then wed bring into open discussion the fact that todays standard of service is inversely correlated with the boasting that companies do about its alleged quality.

Shakespeare said we should doubt the truthfulness of those who protest too much about their virtue, who overstate their capabilities.

In an increasingly competitive world, were kidding ourselves if we believe claiming the name is the equivalent of being good at the game.

Lets get on with the challenge of truly improving service productivity, and this will serve everyones interests.

Best-selling author of 12 books and more than 1,000 articles, Dr. Gary S. Goodman is considered "The Gold Standard" in negotiation, sales development, customer service, and telephone effectiveness. Top-rated as a speaker, seminar leader, and consultant, his clients extend across the globe and the organizational spectrum, from the Fortune 1000 to small businesses. He can be reached at: gary@customersatisfaction.com.

Hit The Jackpot With Customer Complaints
Our most powerful instinct is to avoid customer complaints, but they may be the best thing that happens to your business. Heres why...Marketing research shows that only 1 out 50 unhappy customers take the time to complain... to you. They are likely to let 11 of their friends in on the fact that they are unhappy, but dont feel comfortable letting yo...

Effective Ways to Handle Complaints and Keep Customers Happy
Our DSL service was supposed to be up and running a couple of days after we moved into our new house. Three weeks later, I was still trying to figure out what had gone wrong. I spent hours on the phone, waiting for people to look up my account and talk to their supervisor. Turns out, someone had mysteriously cancelled my order. How did that hap...

Customer Dis-Service Today
On any given errand day, I can walk into almost any store and deal with a bad customer service representative. While looking for an item, such as out-of-stock laundry detergent, Im met with frowns, blank stares, and I dont know types of answers. Whatever happened to great customer service and pride in ones work?Customer service can be defined as ...

Customer Service, Italian Style
Nowadays, we complain nearly all of the time about how few businesses remember how to provide quality service to their customers. But a recent trip to Italy not only reminded me that the art of service is not dead, but that providing outstanding service is the key to almost any successful business. Here are a few well-worn but important principle...

Top 10 customer service tips
1. Hire people who have a service attitude. Some people simply enjoy serving others, their organizations, and even their communities. The spirit of service dominates their personality. This attitude of service has nothing to do with money or background, and people who have this attitude are not necessarily the most outgoing or bubbly. Thi...

Which Customers Are Worth Your Time?
Hows business?Overflowing with customers?Thought not.Then why are you ranking your prospects to determine which ones to go after and pushing away smaller customers you think arent worth it? Thats as silly as only playing the lottery when the jackpot is up to $350 million; as if the $50 million jackpot isnt worth your time.Weve all heard stories ab...

Attitude of Service
When conducting a training session about customer service, I always spend a fair amount of time talking about attitudes. After all, to be of service, you must develop an attitude of service.It has recently come to mind that the attitude of service is not something you put on and take off when at work. It is something you carry with you th...