Ann Willers, at 8:10pm 8th Aug 2007, wrote:

How refreshing to read above posting. I get so frustrated and angry with companies, shops firms etc these days who pass the buck usually to some poor unsuspecting foreigner who can't cope with the problems, or who never give you a direct answer

Sima Najma, at 1:49am 10th Aug 2007, wrote:

Some foreigners are okay actually. They have got a lot more manners and actually sound like they want to be of some help rather than someone who sounds like they are losing the plot and the power to live. I think the main problem that puts people off is the fact the lines have bad connections so it makes it difficult to understand what they are saying, but in my opinion the foreigners that I have spoken to seem to be of most help.

charlotte batey, at 3:19pm 11th Aug 2007, wrote:

i never seem to understand a word of what the person on the other line is saying, and although they are trying to be of help, it is of no help at all and by the time ive put the phone down im right back where i started, clueless!

i also agree though with sima when she says the foreighners have more manners as they do!when they speak to my hard of hearing nan they are always very patient and help hr out a lot.but when she has spoken to british people most of them are very rude and have spoken to her as though she is wrong when she knows she is right! what ever happened to the customer is always right?

Claire Bush, at 1:47pm 13th Aug 2007, wrote:

i work in a large organisation as a customer service development consultant and i have to say that if big companies saw their customers the same way as Caroline they wouldn't have to keep targeting people new business sales, because we wouldn't have to go and get them - they'd come to us!!!

claire Golding, at 9:16pm 13th Aug 2007, wrote:

I do agree that customer service can sometimes leave a lot to be desired, but what about the reverse situation when customers are rude!

I work in a supermarket and it can be rather frustrating when you are being polite, friendly and helpful, only to be spoken to as though you are a second class citizen. This can make it challenging to offer great customer service at times!

this is particularly so when things happen beyond our control-I think the moral of the story is to treat EVERYONE as you'd like to be treated!!!

Sima Najma, at 11:28pm 13th Aug 2007, wrote:

I'm right behind you on that one Claire! If only someone took these morals seriously then there might just be a difference between customers and companies.

I work on the telephones a lot and it's sooo rude when people decide to put the phone down on you or try to act clever by guessing what the call's about before you've even said anything. If someone spoke to me face to face like a second class citizen I wouldn't give them the time of day simply because I'm treating them how they are treating me BUT on the phones despite customer rudeness we still have to show them respect . After all I've got a company reputation to live up to!

morriarty, at 10:25pm 16th Aug 2007, wrote:

It seems that British companies do not place a high value on customer satisfaction. The wages advertised for "Customer Relations" staff are not high. (£12 to £16k). If ever you have to call a company's customer relations staff, you can hear in their voices how overworked and underpaid they are. Companies that do care usually don't have a "customer relations" department. They route oomplaints to the department concerned, and expect the departmental staff to solve the customer's problem. If ever you are routed to customer service, customer relations or any of the myriad of names that companies use these days to avoid having an extension called "complaints", then just remember that you are playing a game. The people you are talking to are generalists, not experts. You can play them well by being polite, reaonsable and knowing what sort of remedy you would like. Don't ask for too much, and try not to be emotionally involved with your complaint. You may be pleasantly surprised by just how willing to help they are if you are reasonable.

dorothy ross, at 9:45pm 29th Aug 2007, wrote:

i think whoever it is you have to be polite in a job like this even though it can be annoying and frustrating at times but i think you all deserve a award and full marks to you all

renjith, at 9:34am 9th Sep 2007, wrote:

"Customer is always right". That is the main slogan of customer service. They are very keen to know how they are being treated. Greed them with a great and enthusiastic SMILE. Repeated customers are the backbone of evry firm. Make them happy with the words, acts and the service.

Learning the Perfect customer service is a hard job. You have to be polite, a good listener and with a good skill of handle people even in a frustrating or an annoying situation. Complaint handling is the main skill of each and every staff. listen ti them, advise them with the possible ways and make solution. If u r fully involved in ur job, that makes you very happy at the end..

Douglas Lang, at 1:28am 15th Sep 2007, wrote:

Absolutely right renjith. Most people involved with customer service (especially at larger organizations) are like machines running lines of marketing code at customers. Best customer service comes from people who can have normal conversation AND deal with the customer in a business matter. Even if statistically that doesn't bring in te highest revenue.

Sam Ferguson, at 7:05pm 20th Sep 2007, wrote:

very good Caroline, I'm shore your shop deos very well. However, please don't think that a useful mentor must neccaserally be older. Experience doesn't always come with age! Sam Ferguson

Pamela Playle, at 8:38pm 27th Sep 2007, wrote:

Customers aren't always right but the trick is to make them feel that they are, without patronising them. Make all customers fell special and important. I used to say that I didn't care if you came into my pub and spent £1 or £50 you were equally important to me.

[unsubscribed], at 7:16pm 28th Sep 2007, wrote:

I couldnt agree with you more Caroline...when an assistant sales person really talks to you as if your their only customer it does make you feel special and most certainly makes you want to go back..

I owned a deli some years ago and we gave such good service that a lot of our customers came back and told us that it was refreshing to find service like ours....we always went that extra mile....

johnandcarlos, at 7:22pm 4th Oct 2007, wrote:

oh yes customer service is a good thing but it is a two way street. I used to work for a large supermarket chain and would some times get customers in shouting and swearing at me for some thing i had no control over. so i fing treat people how you want to be treated and you get a lot farther.

Kathryn, at 7:08pm 27th Oct 2007, wrote:

I agree with Caroline. I saw a lovely quotation once that said 'Customer Service is an attitude not a department' How true that is.

The old adage - treat customers in the way you wish to be treated works. At times it is difficult to Smile but it can disarm even a grumpy customer.

fred Hine, at 10:14am 31st Oct 2007, wrote:

I agree with this point as i que up to rent a DVD in blockbusters i find that the grumpy college student trying to find the DVD engages in no conversation whatsoever, and they expect me to thank them when they stand there and just ask for the £4 required. Very rarely these days do people engage in conversation while they are serving me only corner shops seem to be in the spirit =)

mary stuffins, at 9:40am 12th Nov 2007, wrote:

Whilst i do agree with the above comments and customer service does leave a lot to be desired. As a mother of three teenage children who have all recently started weekend retail work, from day one they have all complained to me about how the customer has been rude to them! Because they are young the customer has presumed they are going to get bad customer service and that is not always the case. Therefore could this be one of the reasons why there is a lot of bad service? Its a catch 22 situation.

Tony Mosely, at 6:04pm 13th Nov 2007, wrote:

The real quote should be 'The customer is not always right but he or she is always the customer'.

Liz Harrison, at 8:27pm 7th Feb 2010, wrote:

I work in Customer services and if I treated our customers (and believe me the 'treatment' I'd like to give some of them.......!) the way I've been treated in some places my bosses would march me off the premises in two minutes. A piece of advice for someone who's usually surly with the customer is tell the truth, be polite and remember if the item you (ie your company) sold them is faulty, be quick to apologise and rectify the situation. That's what I always do, sometimes quicker than I should really, but if you look after a customer today and treat them fairly they'll be back another day and they'll bring friends. Just remember if you want to keep your job you have to have repeat customers so always treat them the way you would like to be treated. I seriously do think that's why some businesses fail, as I NEVER go back to a shop that's treated me badly, no matter how good their products. Sorry Marks and Spencers, Curry's and a few other well known names but I do think I was fair about it, I used my three strikes and you're out rules to allow for it to be just the one bad day for that assistant. I also had to put a major jewellry firm on the list too, but not because of the way the staff acted, but the actual quality of the goods I paid a considerable amount for. Someone said that the smaller independents are often better and I have to agree. several years ago we had to have a new boiler and all the big companies pushed for a combi but the recommended local company said no they aren't suitable for the area 'cos the water and gas supply can fluctuate. Guess what, the other houses by us have combi's, so end up freezing, with no water, several times a year while we can enjoy cups of tea in a warm house for a day or two when the pumping station has a problem. Nowadays I will sometimes use a more expensive supplier when I've found that the service beats the competition, so lets keep the local companies, with local knowledge because paying a bit more now will generally save you a fortune in the long run.