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10 Commandments of Customer Support

4 min read

Here is the short list, to read the full article, you’ll have to head over to their blog:
1. Listen
2. Teach
3. Pay Attention
4. Ask the Right Questions
5. Don’t Interrupt
6. Apologize
7. Focus On Solutions, Not On Blame
8. Put Yourself In Their Shoes
9. Treat Free Product Users As Customers
10. Laugh, Smile and Have Fun

I agree with their entire list; the challenge is teaching customer support staff the most important rule: Leave the ego at home.

Anytime a customer support issue has gone wrong, it almost always has to do with the employee taking the customer remarks personally, or feeling like he/she is “protecting” their employer’s best interests. A customer service representative cannot listen effectively, focus on solutions or respond with an apology, if his or her ego is invested in the conversation. Finding support staff who possess the ability to let go of their ego while still caring about the client’s point of view, is the most difficult job of any good customer support manager.

When I find myself in the position of client/customer with a complaint, I’ve learned that prefacing the negative statement with, “I want to share an experience with you, but first I want to make sure you understand that I am not upset with you personally, I’m hoping you can help me resolve this.” It doesn’t always result in a successful resolution but it does overcome many of the customer support ego issues, and improves the chances of resolution significantly. Too few companies train their customer support people effectively. Training tends to improves as the price tag of the item or service increases simply because there is more money in the budget.

For those with limited budgets, having your employees read the Hubspot article is a great start!

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