Crappy Customer Service

Thanks to everyone for the fantastic month of Writers Worth! This year was especially terrific, and the conversations were educational. I’ll be compiling everything in an ebook (once I get everyone’s permission), and I’ll make it available shortly.

Meantime, to our winners…

I just got back from a weekend trip home, so the winners will be announced later today. Check back soon!

Today is supposed to be my Monthly Assessment day. However, my files are still in boxes scattered about the house, and while I have a rough idea how things went, I’m nowhere near organized enough to be accurate.

So instead, today is rant day.

I was opening my mail last week when I came across an interesting, bordering on insulting, note from Macy’s. I’d mask the name of the company, but they need to know the hard sales tactic has crossed a line. The note was an alert about my account. I got a little panicked, thinking maybe my account had been hacked or my payment has been redirected. No, it seems there was a new alert they felt was critical to warn me about and include a minor threat alongside it.

I wasn’t using my card in enough places.

Yep, my Macy’s card, which I used at Macy’s four times last month, wasn’t being used elsewhere. As a result, and here’s the threat that got my back up, if I didn’t use the card outside of Macy’s within the stated time period, I would lose part of my already ridiculously high credit card limit.

That’s right — Macy’s was threatening to lower my card limit if I didn’t use the card in other stores. And that’s the first I’d heard of even being able to do so.

Needless to say, I’m letting them lower the rate. Hell, they can cancel it for all I care. They strong-arm you into taking the card out by asking you every time you check out, and then adding that grating “Are you sure?” comment along with statements of how much money you’re passing up. Then this?

I might just be canceling that card on my own. I don’t need another card, and I truly don’t need to be hassled about not using it in a way in which they can earn more of my money.

It’s true that when it comes to delivering service to customers, there are some companies that can’t get it right. There’s my trash company, which blocks me every time I call to schedule a pickup of a bulk item, but will happily schedule it when my husband calls. There’s the trash collector, who writes rude notes on our trash can if we happen to forget it and try running it to the curb (first, how would he know it wasn’t out by 6 am and second, why the f**k can’t I take it to the curb if he’s not picked up yet?). There’s the furniture store salesperson who told us we couldn’t buy our sofa at another store because his was the only one in this area authorized to sell that brand (true, but if we want to drive to New Jersey and get it, by gawd, we will). There’s the person at the drive-up window who says I can’t have my veggie burger put on the grill because that’s not how they’re supposed to make it, the insurance person who argued vehemently that we couldn’t have separate policies (when we already had that) when we asked to compare my coverage to his…..

It’s rampant.

It’s a symptom of putting policy ahead of the customer. It’s a sin far too many companies commit, too. As writers, we’re not too likely to forget to please the customer, but there’s a chance we’re doing so if we’re not paying attention. Here’s a checklist that can help you keep on the right side of your client:

It’s the client’s product. You’re providing a service, which is to prepare a product for your client. If they want you to change something and you’re contracted to make those changes, do so. If the changes could harm their business, tell them delicately that the words may not be interpreted the way they’d intended. Then let it go. They have the final say. People shoot themselves in the foot for sport, I swear. Just have your concerns on record should they come back looking for a scapegoat. I remember one client fussing about a particular bad habit he had in his writing. After I’d removed all instances, he carefully put them all back in and chewed me out. His product, his reputation. Not my problem after that.

Time frames can’t be helped. It’s infuriating to clear your schedule for a client only to have them disappear completely for weeks on end. That’s why I never do it any longer. Having worked in offices before, I see the push-and-pull that goes on. Manager A needs her project completed now and has her team (and you) on it. However, she disappears. Later, you find out that Executive Director B trumped Manager A’s budget or team member time, leaving the project in limbo. Or Manager A may suddenly be fired or resign. Or the budgets could have been stripped when earnings results came in. Or the project may no longer be relevant… too many things can get in the way that’s not under your control, and not necessarily under your client’s control, either. If they go absent, pick up the phone. Emails often get ignored for various reasons, including not having word from the higher ups on what’s going on. Be prepared at all times for such things to happen, and make sure you have enough work in the hopper to compensate for it. And be gracious — clients appreciate and remember that.

Advice doesn’t have to stick. Part of my job (and yours) is to advise clients on what would work best for them in their particular situation. That doesn’t mean they have to listen. Part of our job is knowing when to back off and let them do what they intend. I remember telling a client five years ago they should start a blog. They balked — didn’t see the need. Fast forward to today. The new blog is on my to-do list for them, and they’re excited to be starting one. Also, maybe your advice just doesn’t fit. You can know a client’s business only so well. They know best. It’s not a case of you win or they lose. It’s a case of you help, they decide.

Resist the urge to gloat. How many times have you been tempted to say “I told you so” when your unheeded advice resulted in the client suffering in some way? Don’t. It wins no battles and makes a lousy impression. They know you advised them, especially if the advice was in email. If they don’t remember, your reminder is going to be like salt in an open sore. It doesn’t matter who’s right or wrong. It matters how you’ll help your client overcome and move forward.

Remove your ego. Sure, you know more about this than they do, or you can write them under a table. Whatever. If you’re thinking like this, your focus is not on your client’s satisfaction, which is where it should be. You don’t win friends or keep relationships when your focus is on being right or better. Clients do tend to think they can write, or they need some modicum of control so that they can be top of their game in their minds. It hurts no one to let that happen.

Even you have limits. Missed calls from clients do happen (people forget to consult their calendars), but if it’s a habit, like one former client of mine who’d missed 12 calls she’d scheduled, you don’t have to accept that. I didn’t. I would dial in, put it on speaker, and keep working on other things for five minutes. Then I hung up. If such behavior in any area of your relationship is a pattern with your client, find a cordial way to cut ties (if it’s a big enough issue for you). Never leave under an angry situation, and do not get into a war of words with them. That’s childish, even if they started it (as we used to say to our parents). In cases where the client is downright rude, don’t respond at all. Just move on and don’t look back.

What else can you add to the list?
Writers, give some examples of crappy customer service you’ve received.