I once worked for a guy named Ed. He smoked cigars. Now, before you go thinking that what he does in his personal life is his own business …
… he smoked cigars INSIDE his retail shop.
Yes. Customers complained. He told them to shop somewhere else and that he would do what he ^$&*@ pleased! Not. Even. Kidding. I’ve talked about him before. He was a highly intelligent engineer, but completely clueless in a retail setting with live people! Let’s just say his people skills were somewhat lacking!
There are much better ways to deal with complaints and unhappy customers. I have a knack for it. Maybe it was because I had to apologize for Ed’s behavior for so many years. (Oddly, the smell of cigar smoke does not bother me in the least.)
Just because I can do it, does not mean I do not get frazzled sometimes. Believe me, I have had to bite my tongue near off on more than one occasion when talking to a cranky customer. Generally, they weren’t upset with our work, just frustrated about some other aspect of their life.
I just LOVED this article and wanted to share it. So many people in this day and age forget that just because you may OWN the business does NOT mean you get to do whatever you want! You still have to listen to what the customer has to say if you want to keep their business. In fact, 9 times out of 10, they are just blowing off steam. Let them. It won’t kill you, but it may just earn you another FAN!