Bob Newhart, a famous comedian and actor, recently passed away. He began his career as a stand-up comedian and eventually found great success on television when he starred in a television series aptly titled The Bob Newhart ShowHis awards include three Grammy Awards, an Emmy Award, a Golden Globe and the Mark Twain Award for American Humor. In 1960, his comedy record The conservative spirit of Bob Newhart reached number 1 on Billboard’s pop album chart.
But enough of Newhart’s history and accolades, why does he appear in an article about customer service and experience? The answer can be found in one of his TV specials in a funny sketch called Stop it.
Seven years ago I first shared a link to the Stop it Video in an article I wrote titled Just stop it. The focus was on not doing the things that customers complain about the most. To honor and remember the late Bob Newhart, I would like to revisit the topic: Stop itand this time, focus on ending bad habits, systems, or policies that destroy a good customer experience. With that in mind, here are 10 bad customer service habits that, when you notice them, will make you want to say, “Stop that!”
- Don’t leave your customers on hold for too long. If you must leave customers on hold, tell them how long and offer them the option to be called back.
- Stop forwarding customers multiple times. Send them to the right person right away!
- Don’t ask for feedback if you’re not going to use it. Our CX study (sponsored by RingCentral) found that 71% of U.S. customers believe the company won’t make changes based on their answers in a customer satisfaction survey.
- Avoid using corporate or technical jargon that your customers may not know or understand. This will make them uncomfortable and may make them feel like you are “talking over them.”
- Stop making promises you can’t keep. For example, if you say you’ll call someone back in an hour, don’t be late.
- Stop making it difficult for your customers to speak to a real human being. If you have live agents to support customers, don’t make it too complicated or difficult for them to reach them.
- Don’t rely too heavily on automation. Some companies have gone 100% digital and eliminated their customer service representatives. Even Amazon, the most digital retailer in the world, has customer service representatives to help with any issues.
- Stop blaming others for a mistake or problem, even if it’s someone else’s fault. Customers don’t care who’s at fault. What they care about is talking to someone who will help them. Even if it’s not your fault, it’s your chance to make things right. No blame is needed.
- Stop making it a no-brainer to do business with. This is a big one. Customers want smooth and hassle-free experiences. Review your processes, systems and policies to make sure they are customer-friendly.
- Stop being average! Even an experience that is just a little bit better than average, as long as it is consistent, will get customers saying things like, “You are always so helpful (friendly, competent, etc.).” The consistently above-average experience will make customers say: “I’ll be back!”
This list of 10 ideas to stop is just a start. Sit down with your team and use this list as a brainstorming tool to discuss the issues, problems and complaints you hear about more often than others. And then, as the late Bob Newhart said, “Stop it!”
Shep Hyken is a customer service/CX expert, award-winning keynote speaker, and New York Times bestselling author. For more information about Shep’s customer service and customer experience keynotes and customer service training workshops, visit www.Hyken.com. Connect with Shep on LinkedIn.
