“Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning.”
Bill Gates.
The simple truth
The foundation of customer service is very simple, you say you are going to do something and you do it.
Customer service is fundamentally about relationships. Service occurs in every interaction, whether it’s at home, helping your spouse by picking up groceries, or with your children when you ask them to do the dishes. At work, it’s assisting a colleague with a malfunctioning coffee machine, your internal customer, or addressing the needs of external customers, and not just meet their need but exceed their expectations.
Nurturing these relationships daily is integral to our approach, no matter the context. It’s what defines excellent customer service and, ultimately, a exceptional customer experience.
101 reasons why you lose customers
In business, and I mean, every businesses, from financial services to legal professional, media to call center; it becomes very frustrating for the other person when they don’t receive what they expect.
Here are 101 reasons why you lose customers…
- Poor customer service.
- Lack of product or service quality.
- High prices.
- Inconsistent or unreliable product/service delivery.
- Slow response times.
- Difficulty in accessing customer support.
- Misleading advertising or marketing.
- Lack of customization or personalization.
- Unresolved customer complaints.
- Hidden fees or unexpected charges.
- Limited payment options.
- Difficulty in navigating the website or online store.
- Poor user experience on mobile devices.
- Outdated or obsolete products/services.
- Ineffective communication or lack of communication with customers.
- Failure to meet customer expectations.
- Unprofessional or rude behaviour by company representatives.
- Lack of transparency in business practices.
- Difficulty in cancelling or modifying orders.
- Long shipping or delivery times.
- Poor packaging or damaged products upon delivery.
- Inability to fulfil promises or commitments.
- Limited availability of products or services.
- Inadequate inventory management.
- Inaccurate or inconsistent product information.
- Lack of loyalty rewards or incentives for repeat customers.
- Limited or no options for returns or refunds.
- Unreliable or inconsistent product/service availability.
- Difficulty in contacting the company or reaching customer support.
- Unaddressed security or privacy concerns.
- Failure to provide after-sales support or assistance.
- Lack of innovation or failure to keep up with market trends.
- Negative reviews or feedback from other customers.
- Failure to adapt to changing customer preferences.
- Inability to resolve billing or payment issues.
- Lack of social media presence or engagement.
- Unresponsive or ineffective social media management.
- Failure to provide accurate or up-to-date product/service information.
- Inability to provide a seamless omnichannel experience.
- Limited or no options for customization or personalization.
- Inconsistent or misleading product/service descriptions.
- Inadequate product/service warranties or guarantees.
- Difficulty in navigating the checkout process.
- High shipping or handling fees.
- Limited or no options for product/service returns or exchanges.
- Inability to resolve technical issues or provide technical support.
- Lack of product/service updates or improvements.
- Limited or no options for product/service upgrades.
- Inadequate packaging or protection for fragile products.
- Inability to provide timely or accurate order tracking information.
51. Limited or no options for international shipping.
52. Unresolved shipping or delivery delays.
53. Difficulty in redeeming promotions or discounts.
54. Limited or no options for product/service customization.
55. Inability to provide accurate or consistent product/service availability.
56. Inadequate product/service documentation or instructions.
57. Limited or no options for product/service trials or demos.
58. Inability to provide accurate or consistent pricing information.
59. Difficulty in accessing or navigating the customer portal.
60. Inability to provide timely or accurate order status updates.
61. Limited or no options for product/service bundling.
62. Inadequate packaging or protection for perishable products.
63. Difficulty in accessing or using online account features.
64. Inability to provide accurate or consistent shipping estimates.
65. Lack of product/service tutorials or guides.
66. Limited or no options for expedited shipping.
67. Inadequate product/service specifications or details.
68. Difficulty in finding or contacting customer support.
69. Inability to provide accurate or consistent product/service specifications.
70. Limited or no options for product/service upgrades or downgrades.
71. Inadequate product/service compatibility information.
72. Difficulty in cancelling or modifying subscriptions.
73. Inability to provide timely or accurate billing information.
74. Limited or no options for cancelling
75. Lack of community engagement or involvement.
76. Inability to provide timely or efficient order fulfilment.
77. Limited or no options for product/service customization after purchase.
78. Inadequate response to product/service recalls or issues.
79. Difficulty in accessing or understanding product/service documentation.
80. Inability to provide accurate or consistent product/service sizing or measurements.
81. Limited or no options for product/service warranties or guarantees.
82. Inadequate product/service performance or durability.
83. Difficulty in obtaining refunds or credits for returned products/services.
84. Inability to provide accurate or consistent product/service availability for pre-orders.
85. Limited or no options for product/service subscriptions or recurring billing.
86. Inadequate or confusing product/service packaging information.
87. Difficulty in obtaining or redeeming gift cards or vouchers.
88. Inability to provide timely or accurate information on product/service recalls.
89. Limited or no options for product/service trials or samples.
90. Inadequate or confusing product/service pricing tiers or plans.
91. Difficulty in accessing or using loyalty programs or rewards.
92. Inability to provide accurate or consistent product/service specifications for custom orders.
93. Limited or no options for product/service add-ons or accessories.
94. Inadequate or unclear product/service refund or return policies.
95. Difficulty in obtaining or understanding product/service invoices or receipts.
96. Inability to provide accurate or consistent product/service availability for backorders.
97. Limited or no options for product/service packaging customization.
98. Inadequate or slow response to product/service inquiries or questions.
99. Difficulty in obtaining or using product/service gift certificates or vouchers.
100. Inability to provide timely or satisfactory resolutions to customer issues or concerns.
101. DON’T SHOW YOU CARE
Last but not least if you DON’T SHOW YOU CARE, there is no way you are going to make any relationship work!
Off course, all of those reasons may vary depending on the industry, location, and specific circumstances of each business. The only way you can be addressing those issues and providing excellent customer service is to get feedback from your internal and external customers. The steps I share when I am speaking in conferences to improve and consistently keep your customers happy is to:
- assess, diagnose where you are in the business
- develop new strategies,
- implement and train those strategies,
- measure how you are doing;
- and finally celebrate what you are doing right and continue to improve with what doesn’t.
Connecting with your customers on an emotional level will go a long way to retaining and building long-term customer advocacy, is the only way you will stay in business in the long run…
