by Theo Andrews

Created on: July 11, 2009

Let's talk about the companies, and are they really interested in providing the best "customer service" possible? "Corporate America" are people that sit behind a desk most of their careers, and never see the inside of a retail store. Now, there are some employees that work their way up to the executive levels, but they are oblivious to what goes on in the field.

Upper-management of most corporations really wants to provide the best possible service to its customers. The only problem with this is the breakdown in communications from upper-management to lower-management. Upper-management communicates to all levels of management, and employees by using policies. This is one of the reasons for poor customer service.

Let me explain why I say policies hurt customer service. Upper-management sends out a policy to guide managers, and it is up to the manager to make a business decision using these policies as a guide. They don't have to follow them verbatim; they just need them for direction. This is where all the confusion starts; most managers will tell the customer this is our "company policy," and we have to follow it. Okay, here is our first problem, our customer service just went down the tubes because customers don't care about our policies. Inexperienced managers will abuse this statement, and veteran ones will use it to say "no" to a customer.

My first lesson to all managers; never say "no" and it's "company policy" to a customer. When you use these words, nothing good will come out of this. Make your customers "happy," and how you do this, well, you make a decision that's best for your customer- that follows the guidelines of the policy. Keep in mind, it's only a guideline, and you can maneuver away from the policy to make a customer happy- as long as it's ethical.

Customers want you to be there to help them, not make their shopping experience a horror show. The first thing that should enter your mind when you approach your customer is- what can I do to make this customer happy. Most of your decisions are going to be "on the spot," and you are going to have to come through. If you make a wrong decision, well, kiss your customer good-bye.

What I want all managers and company executives to get from this article is, make sure all levels of management know they can do what it takes, within reason, to help customers. They're not doing this, and it's costing you. Managers, you need to get a grip on reality, and realize customers will only put up with so much, and before you know it, they're gone.

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