ArtsAutosBooksBusinessEducationEntertainmentFamilyFashionFoodGamesGenderHealthHolidaysHomeHubPagesPersonal FinancePetsPoliticsReligionSportsTechnologyTravel

How To Survive Poor Customer Service Without Killing Anyone

Updated on April 23, 2015
jpcmc profile image

I'm a dad, husband, and Christian first. Second, I'm an educator and organizational development professional.

How frustrating can poor customer service get?
How frustrating can poor customer service get? | Source

What do you do when you are faced with the grim reality of poor service? Surely, you try to compose yourself and maintain a certain level of civility. Let’s hope that no one out there has already decapitated someone for poor service…I know it’s tempting.

Instead of all the negative vibes, here are things that can help you control the rage that’s boiling inside. This is intended to make the most out of a bad situation, nothing more. You’re already in a dismal state why make it worse?

What’s the problem?

Before going all ballistic at the person in front of you try to consider why you are actually upset. Was it because of the product, the service provided, or the attitude of the employee? I’m sure there is a sound reason for your blood pressure to reach the roof. Sorting through the haze of anger, irritation, anxiety and whatever emotional concoction that is brewing inside of you will do you good. First, it will redirect your attention from badgering the employee to actually doing something more productive. In addition, it will help you calm you down (at least pacify you for a moment). But for those who aren't really contemplative, this may not be helpful. I know you simply want to jab a pen into the employee’s jugular but think of the mess first.

If you have the problem pinpointed the employee or the company can help resolve the issue faster. That’s a better situation than pointlessly raving and ranting while bystanders take a video of you to post on the net.

If product is the problem then make sure you have all the details. Many customer support representatives face a brick wall especially when a client provides incomplete information. Of course they want to help but with little or no information about your purchase, it will take longer. Some of the important information that you need to provide include: Brand and model of the product, receipt information, warranty information and most importantly details of your complaint.

It’s always a good idea to check out the store’s return policy just in case you return items. This way, you’ll have less trouble getting a refund or replacement. Another important reminder is to READ THE INSTRUCTION MANUAL BEFORE USING THE PRODUCT. Furthermore, it is important to use it as directed. It’s just common sense to do these things. But as I have learned, common sense is not so common nowadays.

On the other hand, if it is the service that’s bugging you, then talk to the right person. It is a good idea to talk to someone higher than the person who is providing the service. Studies have shown that rude employee behavior tops the reasons for customer dissatisfaction. Employee incompetence is also one of the reasons why people get irate. So when this happens, it’s best to find a new face to talk to. You might just do something you might regret if you don’t.

If you can’t help me, tell me who can

It’s actually counter-productive simply raving at a person who is not qualified to answer your concerns or provide you with solutions. Many consumers get into the habit of bombarding the sales person, waiter, customer representative or some poor dude with demands that they can not provide. So instead of wasting your time with them, ask for someone who can.

Usually there’s a customer service desk, hotline, e-mail or even website you can go to. Here, you can air out your concern. But more than just an ear to hear you out, these facilities and personnel are tasked to resolve issues. So don’t waste your time arguing with employees when you can go straight to their customer complaint representative.

Off with their heads attitude

If it’s legal to sanction beheading for poor customer service you might just see head rolling everywhere. But the law clearly states that you can’t. It is understandable that you want blood for whatever offense – however little it may be. It is so easy to blurt out harsh words when you are upset. Likewise, many want employees reprimanded and even fired for the poor service that they provided. But before you go on this road, it is more productive to try to resolve the issues first.

So before you hire the Sopranos to whack someone for poor service or pathetic products, count to ten and sort things out first. It’s easy to be overwhelmed with negative emotions and lose your focus on what is more important – resolving your problem.

working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)