How to be an ideal customer

Being a client is an ordinary part of our life, but few clients have ever imagined themselves in the shoes of the one on the other end of the wire or screen. There are textbooks on how the support agent should behave, but customer support is a two-way street, and traffic rules for the customers themselves will help to avoid traffic jams and get to the goal faster (and safer). Support has strong tips for the client, and we’ll talk about them today.

Look at the sign
You do not have a purchase on the card in the store. Shout at the seller, call the administrator, call the terminal manufacturer or contact your bank? Having made the right choice, you will already be halfway to solving the problem. Whether the client wanders in the dark or enters the lighted road, it is decided just at this important moment of choice - who will help? Forget about the Zappos call center, where you can order pizza along with buying boots. In reality, support is only responsible for its service within its competence. The seller, with all his will, will not check the account on your card, and the bank employee will not agree on a discount for you. Go where they will help you, demanding the impossible, you only delay the decision and attract the disappointment.

Select expression
There are problems and you vomit and toss, throwing lightnings at the support agent, who at this moment is the embodiment of poor service and product for you. But your volume and rudeness do not correlate with the speed and quality of the solution. A good support will help anyway, but not a bad one. Instead of frantic dialing and “I’ll arrange for you there” exhale, count to 10 and then call. If you decide to write - write. Now re-read and delete the first option. Write again and check the number of exclamation points before sending - there should be no more than one. Your anger and disappointment may be justified, but let the support see the problem behind them, this will help to solve it faster.

Tell a story
Remember this game, when the driver makes a situation, and the guesser asks questions that can be answered only by Yes or No. Typical customer situation with support. What happened, only the client knows. But does not speak. We have to torture - the process is unpleasant for both sides.
In secret: there are no people in support with extrasensory abilities, the ability to guess on the ball and coffee and tea grounds and see the past and future. Introduce yourself, tell us what happened in order, give details. This will save you from additional questions, incorrect redirects and delaying the decision. Yes, Sherlock Holmes is sitting in a different support, who will unravel the tangle by your name alone. But if the support does not have a help desk with your contact history , then this is complicated.
The more you describe the problem, the faster it will be solved.

Don't tell stories
To fix - describe (attention - Keyword) the problem. “Yesterday we were given a salary, usually it is paid on the 30th, but the accountant goes on vacation and therefore she was paid earlier. I went to pay for the loan, but the department was already closed, and I had to stand in traffic for half an hour to get to another. The trolleybus broke down on the way, I was late because I needed to pick up the child from school and take him to the music room, because he had a lesson ... ”. If you hear snoring from the phone, then it's time to get closer to business. The story of your whole life can be fascinating, but a support specialist would prefer to find out as soon as possible than he can still help. If you wrote an email, you would hardly have stretched it over several pages. Therefore, calling support, formulate the essence: what, when, how much, with whom.

Add screenshots
If you are not Leo Tolstoy and descriptions are not your thing, then better send a picture of your mistake. Printscreen - control. It's simple:) It is better to see a support once than to exhaust you with clarifying questions. Do not forget a few words under the picture, a picture without a signature is a bad helper.

Wait.
They wrote to support - take a break. Drink coffee, eat twix. Did your arms reach for the keyboard again? Stop, wait a little longer. Give time to read your letter. The correct support with auto answer will immediately tell you how much to wait. If this does not happen, but the question is urgent - it is better to call immediately. 10 letters every five minutes will not help, but only confuse support.

Give thanks
It is more difficult to share good, it is not enough. But if you are not greedy, it will ricochet. Have you been helped? Call, say “good job” - a positive feedback charges and motivates even the most gloomy agent. Your one thank you smile will spread over 100 calls after you. And also catch a life hack - praise the company publicly and you will be included in the list of VIPs, which now cannot be disappointed. Any relationship is built on emotions, including between a client and a company. Put warmth and trust in the foundation - and let it be already “not only business”.

There is no company problem or “your” problem. What arises between is always a common problem and it must be solved together. Do not fight support, be for one, take a step towards - and your contribution to quality service will be rewarded.