Be Civil with Customer Service

Nugget: Be Civil with Customer Service

Big problem: Rudeness and incivility rarely get desired results.

Solution: Don't cavil. Be civil.

(Customer service staff are human and have feelings.)

Example: You get bumped from a flight that's overbooked. You're upset, and you take out your upset at the airline service clerk. You insist that you

must be on this flight. You pound the desk with frustration and begin speaking loudly.

Result: You don't get on that flight. (By the way, the clerk did not cause your problem. That was caused by the airline overbooking.)

Example: You get stopped by a traffic cop for speeding, and you think you've been singled out because other cars were going at the same speed or faster. So you tell the officer how unfair s/he is by picking on you.

Result: You get the maximum ticket anyway.

Here's an alternate story, my own:

Two months ago I was stopped for speeding within a mile of my home. The officer politely told me my speed. Embarrassed and contrite, I confessed I'd been foolishly in a hurry to get home with some frozen groceries. Shaken, I had a hard time finding all my papers: license,

insurance, registration. I finally found and handed them to the officer, who returned to his squad car to check my status.

When he returned, and to my surprise, he merely gave me a warning and no $200 ticket! I thanked him for his courtesy and forbearance.

Another story: On Sept. 5 I was flying back from my son's wedding in NY. I got to JFK airport hours before my flight and noticed another flight 3 hours earlier. Hearing the desk clerk speaking Spanish, I approached her and, in Spanish, said "Hi! Looks like you're having a busy day. Do you think you could help me get a seat on the 3 p.m. flight so I could get home earlier?" No whining, no pushiness, no insistence. Just a reasonable request, politely asked.

She found me a "PRIORITY wait-list" seat and printed out a ticket. I got home early.

Loren's lesson: Even if you're upset, you don't have to be rude. Don't threaten. Don't swear. Don't name-call. Don't blame.

Even when provoked, you can follow this practical advice:

"I don't have to attend every argument I'm invited to."

When talking to customer service in person or on the phone, you can be firm but also civil. Doing so will almost always achieve better results.

Until next week,

Loren