6 common customer frustrations and ways to overcome them
Whatever your industry, businesses deal with clients and customers all the time, and customers have to deal with businesses too. At times it can be easy to forget about vital details and unintentionally leave those all-important customers angry, annoyed and looking for someone/somewhere else to get what they need. Here are six common customer frustrations and some handy tips to avoid and overcome them.
1. Taking too long to resolve an issue
No industry comes without the occasional problem or error. This is something that sometimes cannot be helped. However, it’s really frustrating to be kept waiting for a fix, or for an issue to be resolved, and it’s even worse if you have to keep calling up to leave reminders.
Quick fix! Always resolve issues as quickly as possible, but also make regular contact with the customer to keep them updated and informed on what’s happening.
2. Not valuing their time
Time is important in a business, but it’s important in day-to-day life too. One sure way of leaving customers fed up is by not treating their time with the importance it deserves. So, how can you avoid this? Keep phone hold times to a minimum, respond quickly to emails and even be sure to tell them directly that you appreciate how important their time is when on a phone call or in a face-to-face meeting.
3. Confusing them
You know your business, you know your industry, you know the jargon. It is a huge mistake to assume your customers understand it too. If you get too technical you can leave customers feeling unclear and confused and you can almost guarantee they’ll start looking right away for something they find easier to understand. Avoid this by leaving the jargon at the office and presenting all information to the customer clearly and precisely.
4. Never knowing who to talk to
When you pass a customer from person to person, you’re really just pushing them away. If they never know who to ask for when they call or speak to a different person every time, they’ll soon figure it’s not worth the hassle. While the immediate enquiry or business may see you direct the customer to the appropriate person to help, try and limit it there. Offering some continuity is great practice when it comes to quality customer service.
5. Being unable to make contact
There are many business websites out there that leave customers hunting for a way to make contact with you. There’s nothing more frustrating than being pushed for time but struggling to get hold of something as simple as a phone number or an email address. Ensuring that customers/potential customers can find clear contact information, with multiple choice of communication (phone, email, live chat etc.) will boost your customer satisfaction immediately.
6. Rudeness
No one reacts well to rudeness and there’s never any need for it. Avoiding being rude and encouraging politeness is general practice, however, you must also consider what someone may perceive as rude, even if it were not intended that way. Even a blunt ‘no’ in response to a question is enough to make a customer feel put out. Simply thinking before you speak, and offering a polite explanation when you’re unable to help will go a long way.
Business Insurance with The Insurance Octopus
At The Insurance Octopus we aim to give our customers the best possible choice for their business insurance and we pride ourselves on being able to provide cover for almost any type of trade or profession. Call us on 0161 968 2041 at a time that suits you.
