i read an article this morning about businesses that react more swiftly and generally better if the complaint is registered on twitter, rather than in person.  and i found it highly disturbing.

customer service has been a huge part of every job i have ever had.  i take it very seriously, and i take a lot of pride in being really good at it.  in many of my jobs, i was the person who handled front line customer feedback, and made decisions about how to respond.  one of the hands down most effective ways of helping an upset customer feel better, or more calm about a situation, is to listen to them, look at their face, and really hear them.  and tell them that you hear them, and that you understand why they are upset, and mean it.   from that point, you decide how to resolve the situation.  and let’s face it, sometimes there isn’t anything you can do to fix it other than to apologize.  and you also can’t talk to everyone in person, but you can take some of the same steps via phone or email.  i used to respond to customers with handwritten letters, when i worked at businesses that didn’t have computers yet.  (shocking! i know!)

here’s what bugs.  it is tragic that even in a crappy economy, there are businesses who would react to an IN PERSON complaint by doing almost nothing, but turn on the charm when faced with the threat of other potential customers finding out about it via facebook or twitter, or whatever other way you find out about stuff.  don’t they know that even without social media the threat is there and always has been?

when you have a great experience at a business, you tell people.  you feel good about recommending it as a place to spend your money.  but if you have a bad experience at a business, it’s like a virus.  most people tell 10 times as many friends about bad experiences as they tell about good ones.  don’t believe me?  check out your twitter feed and count how many people are complaining about something.  that used to happen *before* twitter too.  believe it.

as a business owner, i would so much rather get a complaint in person.  i consider it a great opportunity to have someone say to my face what they need, or didn’t like.  so that i can respond to it! with my voice!  to their face.  and we can either live happily ever after or go our separate ways with a sense of closure.

YES.  businesses should monitor what people are saying about them on social media.  i have clients who pay me to do this for them,  it is critical.  i answer questions on twitter or facebook such as “how late are you open?” or “can i bring my dog to sit on your patio?”  and it’s just another channel of communication that needs to be open for people to talk to a business.   but NO!  businesses should never in a million years give extra special over the top customer service to someone because they are afraid that if they don’t, 1500 people on facebook might find out.

businesses should give thoughtful and attentive customer service to everyone, across the board, because it’s the RIGHT THING TO DO, whether someone is going to talk about it on social media or not.

all that said,  it’s not unreasonable to ask customers everywhere to give businesses an opportunity to make things right by speaking directly to them, via whatever channel, as a FIRST effort, rather than than just throwing a complaint out into the atmosphere and waiting for free stuff to be delivered to your door.

the article that spawned this rant can be found here.

when i meet with clients i try to employ these three skills, and these seem so obvious, but do a mental checklist the next time you’re talking to someone. anyone!  you can actually use these skills to some degree in every conversation you have.  you can even do it without sounding chumpy, if you practice.

1. ask questions in a way that will bring out information you need.
2. listen carefully to the answer, ask follow up questions, and take notes if necessary.
3. paraphrase a summary back at the end of the conversation and clear up any questions.

i feel confident that most of the time i am operating with good listening skills.  i don’t  assume that based on simply knowing what good listening skills are, but based on people thanking me for listening to them and understanding what they were saying.  more than once, even.

this morning i was reading my twitter feed on my phone, and came across an interview with Jen Kane (twitter: @JenKaneCo) about social media that delighted me.  it was largely about businesses using social media to listen, not just to talk.  businesses now have many new channels to actually hear what their customers want from them.  so, are they doing that?  and what if they don’t?  and if they want to, how should they?   her message is important, and if you want some great insight about the future of business, check out her interview here.

but sometimes i wonder . . . how will companies ever master listening skills in all these new channels, when some of them are still failing so utterly using the OLD channels?  like the telephone.

right after i watched the video, i discovered that my internet was down.  i rebooted the modem, twice.  nothing.  so i called the cable company, charter communications.  here is a rough transcript of how my conversation went.  i will skip the part where i had to enter 87 different credentials to get into the system, and i will skip the part where i am telling the robot that my internet was down and that i speak english.

robot: let’s get your internet restarted!  do you feel comfortable unplugging your modem?

me: yes

robot: do you feel comfortable unplugging your modem?  you can say “yes” or “no.”

me: YES

robot: good.  please unplug your modem and let me know when it’s complete.

me: complete

robot: did you unplug your modem?

me: yes

robot: to verify it is unplugged, are all the lights off?

me: yes (thinking to self: srsly? omg i’m already mad)

robot: good.  next, let’s—–

me(interrupting): agent

robot: we are well on our way to solving your internet outage.  do i understand correctly that you would like to speak to an agent? if yes, please say agent

me: AGENT

(hold time)

agent: hi! my name is ksdfkjkef (unintelligible name) and i will be helping you today. thank you SO much for calling! thank you for being a charter customer!  can you please tell me your home phone number, address, and your name?

me: (tells all that stuff)

agent: thanks! thanks so much! and with whom am i speaking?

me: (repeats name, even though it was given less than 30 seconds ago)

agent: ok! great!  now what seems to be the problem today? how can i help you?

me: my internet is down.  (thinking to self: dang he uses a lot of extra words)

agent: is your cable down, or your internet?

me: my internet is down.

agent: ok great! well let me just check on that for you!  can you tell me the phone number on the account?

me: the one i just gave you?

agent: yes, please!!  the number on the account.

me:  (repeats the number)

agent:  thanks!  OH!!!! i’m So Sorry To Have To Tell You This, But Your Internet Is Down.

me: yes, yes it is.  i think i mentioned that.  the robot couldn’t help me.  i rebooted my modem twice before i called.

agent: it looks like the service went down at about 12:15 am.

me: so….like, 8 hours ago?

agent:  yes.

me:  and for how many more hours will it be down?

agent:  we’d be SO happy to give you a call when it’s working again!  we have crews already working on it!

me: (thinking to self:  already? mmmkay. also: perky too early alert)  um, ok, that would be great.  but could you *also* tell me what the eta is for having it fixed?

agent: they are guessing two hours?  say, while i have you on the line!  let me just review your services with you!

me:  um NO.  no i don’t have time to review my services with you.  i am supposed to be working, for which i need my internet connection.  i don’t have more time today to give you.

agent:  well, it will just take a moment to review your current services and see what we—-

me:  (interrupting, kinda pissed) no, thanks.  i was just saying i can’t do my job, not that i wanted to buy stuff.  also, the stuff i am already paying for isn’t actually working, so if you could just go ahead and get that fired back up, that’s all i really need today.

agent:  ok!  well hold on! don’t hang up!  let me connect you to the service that will take your phone number so we can call you when the service is working again.  also, you can look on our website to find out what other services we offer!  well, you can when you have internet again.

me: um.  great, ok.

(clicking, whirring, beep beep beep)

robot:  We Are Sorry To Inform You That We Are Unable To Determine Your Phone Number At This Time And Will Not Be Able To Contact You When Your Service Is Restored.  <click>

me:  heavy sigh.