So how do you get the best customer service from a company?
- When dealing with companies start by asking nicely. Assume that the company will help you and that the problem you are having is just a simple mistake before getting nasty.
- Give the full details of the problem you are experiencing. When you contact customer service online or by phone, don’t simply say, “It doesn’t work”. Explain what happens when it doesn’t work. If the customer service person can’t see your computer or the item in your hand, she won’t understand what you are talking about. State how does it doesn’t work.
- Did the page on the computer give you an error message when it didn’t work?
- If it’s something like a flashlight, did it not work when you turned on the switch? If it has more than one component, does part of it not work? “The flashlight part works, but the laser pointer doesn”t…”
- Did you put in batteries?
Give details of the problem and explain anything you might have tried to solve it before you contacted customer service. (“I changed the batteries”, “It flashes on intermittently when I turn on the switch”, etc.
- Always keep your receipt. If it’s easy for the customer support agency to look up the details of your order, you’ll get faster service. If you order things on-line keep a special email box to put all your purchase receipts in so you know where to find them. I would even go so far as to print out a copy of your receipt and keep it in a file folder in case your computer crashes.
- Be patient. When receiving tech support on-line it will take some time. In cases like ours we are a family run business and do not have the time or energy to sit at the computer 24/7 to answer questions immediately as they come in.
Most companies, even large companies, will give you a response in 24-48 hours and that is very reasonable. Many online companies have an FAQ (Frequently asked questions page) or a support page with answers to the most common problems. You can often overcome the problem quickly by looking through it. That way, if you have a problem at 2 AM on a holiday you may still be able to get an answer even before the company is able to respond.
- If you don’t get help with the first person, then politely ask for a manager. Explain the situation to the manager in a nice tone first and wait for the response before getting mad.
- After you have nicely talked to several people without getting help, you may need to be a little more forceful. It’s fine to be upset but don’t yell, scream, curse or call people names. That just makes you look like a buffoon and, most likely, you will not get any help at all once you descend to that level.
- 95% of time when I ask for something I get what I want because I do it nicely and politely. (Not only that, I don’t get high blood pressure or stomach problems.)
