Don't Let Bad Customer Service Doom Your Business

by Bonnie Boots

Bad customer service knows no boundaries. Big corporations serve it up as often as small businesses. The difference is this-if a large corporation loses a few clients because of bad customer service, they barely notice it on their balance sheet.

But if a small business loses a few clients because of bad customer service, it can deal a harsh blow to the bottom line.

I see bad customer service all the time, but this week I experienced two examples that were mirror images of each other. Together, they make a perfect tutorial on what constitutes good and bad customer service

Both situations involved software. The first was software I purchased for $20. When the software failed to function on my computer, I emailed the seller who referred me to the developer.

That developer told me, bluntly, that the issue wasn't his problem. "You bought it from a reseller. The issue you bought is two years old," he wrote." It's not my fault if somebody sold you outdated software. If you want support from me you'll need to purchase the current issue from my site for $25."

I emailed back, pointing out that it is, indeed, his problem. It is, after all, one of his resellers that's creating the problem. It's his company name on the software. It's his business that will be impacted by people having bad experiences with it. "If you sincerely believe that your business reputation is only worth $25, then feel free to ignore my complaint," I wrote.

His reply was two words, one of which began with the letter F.

It's predictable that he treats all customer service issues as badly as he treated mine. So it's also predictable that bad customer service is having a real impact on his bottom line. He's already lost business from me.

Part of my business involves recommending software for my clients. Needless to say, I will never recommend anything this fellow releases. And while I won't name him in print, I'm always happy to denigrate him in conversation when the opportunity arises.

The mirror image of this experience was my recent contact with Rich Christiansen about Featurific at http://www.featurific.com/ . One of my clients had paid her former web developer to install Featurific, a website plugin that displays featured items in a beautiful and professional flash gallery.

That developer had not passed on the receipt, license or registration for Featurific to my client and claimed they couldn't be located. This meant my client had no proof she owned the plugin and would not get updates or supports for Featurific.

When I contacted Rich and told him the twisted tale, explaining that my goal was to get my client the support and updates she deserved, but could not prove she deserved, his response was fast, friendly and totally focused on keeping my client as his customer. After a short email exchange, my client was the registered owner of her plugin.

Rich clearly understands that good customer service is key to small business success. He impressed my client. He impressed me, enough to give him a plug here by suggesting that if you need a feature-rich slideshow that will make your website or blog look as professional as any Fortune 500 company, you should go to Featurific  at http://www.featurific.com and download the FREE trial.

The thing so many businesses forget about customer service is that it doesn't end with the customer. The customer tells the story, for good or bad, to folks they know. And in these days, with everyone emailing, blogging and tweeting, the person you offended or impressed may be telling the story to massive amounts of people.


About the Author

To republish this article in your newsletter, you must agree to reprint the article in its entirety and include the author's information box. If you have questions or comments, contact the author here.