We Busted These 5 Customer Service Myths You Need To Avoid!
When we talk about myths, we think of stories, legends, or folk tales passed down to generations of families to explain the mysteries of life or give us a lesson.
Your mother heard it, your younger brother knows it, and your grandfather got the story from your great-grandmother. In short, myths have always been a part of people’s lives that make it easier to think of these stories as truth.
But that’s not always the case.
No, the earth is not flat. No cupid will magically make that person like you. And lastly, the customer is not always right.
Hold on. Did I read that right?
Yes, you did. There are many myths in the customer service world that continue to spread around, and many businesses fall into the trap of these misconceptions.
This article will help you find out the truth behind these false beliefs and allow your support team to provide the service that will benefit your customers and your business.
Let’s start debunking these customer service myths!
Myth #1: Customer Is Always Right
Ah, we are all familiar with this one. A support agent can’t say no to the customer. Do everything you can to meet their needs, even if they ask you to do something beyond your control.
The customer can’t be at fault. Therefore the employees will always be in the wrong.
This motto has been doing the most rounds in the industry, but it can be considered one of the most harmful customer service myths. Why?
It promotes the idea of degrading your agents’ dignity for the sake of satisfying the customers’ demands. When you include this belief in your customer service practices, it eliminates your employees’ right to make decisions based on their wise judgments.
Let’s face it: although customers are mostly reasonable, they can also be abusive and absurd. If your people are unhappy, they will fail in doing their jobs. Your best asset is your employees; therefore, you have to take care of them as much as you would with your customers.
But here comes the dilemma: If we have to let go of this belief, then how will we deal with difficult customers?
One way to address this problem is to allow your employees to look for the root cause of a customer’s concern. Behind the shouting and unreasonable demands, there’s a real problem that needs to be known.
If they can find that main reason, then they can give appropriate and feasible solutions without having to argue with the customers.
In this way, your employees won’t have to compromise their well-being and better yet, they are more motivated to provide the best support experience to your customers.
Myth #2: Delighting Your Customers Will Earn Their Loyalty
Many people will say that the sweet spot to customers’ loyalty is the delight they experience with your business. When you touch that sweet spot, then you will have them as your long-time supporters.
Then, this belief will push your business to always exceed your customers’ expectations. But what happens when the expectations become too high and now, you are faced with the problem of how to consistently reach all of them?
This is why this myth should be left on the sidelines. When your only way of keeping customers from turning to your competitors is to constantly surprise them by going beyond your means, you have a big problem coming your way.
This strategy becomes extremely expensive and bad service receives more punishment. A new set of expectations that are constantly changing after every interaction with your customers is not the path you want to take.
What’s the trick here?
One thing you can do in exchange for this myth is to focus on meeting and managing your customers’ expectations. Instead of going grand and doing big things, pay attention to the little things that you can offer to your customers.
For example, think of ways on how your business can solve their concerns more easily and efficiently. When you provide stable and effective customer service that’s within your means, the customers’ loyalty will be yours in no time.
Myth #3: Fewer Complaints Mean Happy Customers
Maybe you are thinking, the number of phone calls has been low for the past few months. Your email inbox is not filled with angry customers. Your social media mentions and tags have been quiet. These are good signs, right?
If your answer is yes, then we are sorry to bring the bad news.
Did you know that only 1 in 25 people will take the time to reach out and complain at you? There’s more. A study shows that unhappy customers will tell 9 to 15 people about their bad experience.
The possibility of more people learning about your poor customer service is endless. These numbers should be one of your concerns and make you think about your efforts on getting feedback from your customers.
But these reviews can be such a downer. What if they are filled with negative experiences?
We hear you. But that should motivate you more to gather your customers’ thoughts about your product or service. You should learn about their opinions on your operations. Through this, you know the areas and things that your business should improve on.
You can identify the necessary changes you need to make to serve your customers better. The next time you get too excited about the lack of complaints from your customers, don’t be complacent.
It should remind you to be more proactive in getting their feedback. It shows that you care and listen to your customers.
Myth #4: Strict Policies And Procedures Should Always Be Followed
Don’t get us wrong. We think that guidelines are necessary to have steady and smooth business operations. But when a situation only asks for an employee’s common sense, then it’s better to allow them to make individual decisions based on the welfare of the customers.
Debunking this myth doesn’t mean that your employees are permitted to break or ignore the rules all the time.
It simply means that instead of always asking their manager about the solutions they can give to the customers, you are encouraging them to decide what’s the best option for the situation.
Sticking to scripted messages will not end up good not only for your customers but also for your employees. Let them bend the rules in a way that will make your customers happy and also bring positive results to your business.
Myth #5: Human Agents Will Be Replaced By Artificial Intelligence
With all of the technological advancements today, many people are saying that human agents will disappear in the customer service scene soon. Maybe there’s some truth to this, but for now, fully automated service will only serve assistance to human support agents.
Basic tasks such as greeting customers and answering repetitive questions can be done by AI. But when it comes to more complex situations, a human touch is much more preferred.
Good customer service has a lot of factors: understanding human emotions, handling personal conversations, and a lot more. For now, AI can help human support by taking the simpler tasks that allow the latter to be more productive.
Myths About Customer Service Can Poison Your Success
We know these are big words.
But when you are running a business, no fictional stories, fables, or folklores will teach you how to get on top.
You need to identify carefully the steps that you will take to survive the competition and achieve growth. When you let these myths play a role in your customer service practices, it can produce detrimental results for your business.
It’s important to focus your time and energy on strategies that are proven to be a great help in making your customer service shine more than the others.
These myths will continue to be around, and many businesses will fail to avoid them. Now that we have discussed and explained to you how harmful these false beliefs can be, it’s your turn to check the facts and make smart decisions.
They say that customer service is one of the big contributors to a business’s success. It doesn’t matter how old these myths are or how many people believe them; you have all the ability to choose the strategies that will allow you to serve your customers the best way possible. Use it well.
