In this post, I'd like to tackle a sensitive topic in customer service, prompted by an unfortunate incident involving a friend of mine. A year ago, he was part of a tech team in a major corporation. They had made a grave error in planning and couldn't deliver as promised to their customer. Instead of owning up to their mistake, they chose to lie about the real reason for the failure. As expected, the fallout was significant - they spent countless hours managing the customer's questions based on their initial lie and eventually, they lost the customer altogether.
This story reminded me of the importance of integrity in our business dealings, prompting me to pen down my thoughts.
Now, I'm not here to discuss elusive tactics to make quick money. I don't believe in such short-term gains. I'm more interested in sharing the fundamental practices that foster business and brand growth over the long run, even if it might seem slower initially. It's the most sustainable path forward, especially for nurturing your personal brand.
The bottom line is simple: Don't lie to your customer.
Sure, your product might have some issues. Your service might not be up to par at times. Your team might stumble in handling customer service occasionally. But one thing you cannot afford to do is lie to your customer.
Remember this mantra, "If you lie, you die."
The moment you lie to your customer, your entire team starts operating on that falsehood. Everything becomes increasingly challenging as you're dealing with situations that are purely fabricated. Instead of moving closer to your customers, you'll find yourselves stepping away. Your daily operations will shift focus from enhancing your product and service to maintaining the lie. This marks the onset of trouble and the inevitable ill-fated end is not far behind.
So, let's reiterate: Don't lie to your customers, even if your product and service aren't perfect. Honesty is the bedrock of your business, and it lays the foundation for future growth opportunities.
Additionally, I'd like to highlight a powerful approach called 'synergizing', gleaned from the book "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People". This strategy, albeit a bit challenging to implement, relies heavily on the collective mental strength of your team. It requires a robust, spirited, and healthy team culture. When effectively deployed, it can significantly enhance your customer service, product development, and customer relationship building. Your business growth will be organic, attracting the most potent marketing channel - word-of-mouth traffic.
For those curious about this synergizing strategy, I'd highly recommend reading "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People". I may delve deeper into this method in a future post. Until then, remember: Always stay truthful to your customers.
