5 Customer Service Mistakes

1. Don’t leave a good voicemail message. How many times have you listened to a message left for you and you wonder, “what did they want?” Say your name or phone number clearly, plan what you want to say BEFORE your call and sound completely organized in what you’re calling about if you do have to leave a message and don’t ramble. Leave a voicemail message for yourself sometime and then ask yourself, “would I call myself back after a message like that?”


2. Don’t be on time. There’s really no excuse for this for being late to an appointment or meeting. Always plan on being 15 minutes ahead of time. By getting there early, you get your nerves under control, you can go over your plan of action, and you can observe the environment around you. If you are late for one appointment for unforeseen reasons, that may be excusable the first time as long as you call ahead and let them know. But if it happens the second time, your odds of getting invited back have just gone down tremendously because you’re seen as someone who cannot be depended upon.


3. Don’t be prepared. Don’t just “wing it”. In a recent survey top-level-decision makers were asked, “what is the most important thing to you in business?” The overwhelming response: time. They said that money could be replaced. Their time couldn’t. That’s why you see so many executives want you to get to the bottom-line quickly and cut the small talk. They’re not being rude. They just have so many other demands on their time that you better know what you want, how you want to say it, and move on within fifteen minutes. You can take care of the details with the subordinates later. And a part of preparation is knowing what you want to say, what you expect them to say, how you will respond, and what is happening in the environment during the appointment (body language, what is and what is not being said, and how people are relating to each other).


4. Don’t be knowledgeable and helpful. It is very important to properly express to the customer or prospect “what’s in it for them” if they purchase our products or services. Give them proof that we are THE company to deal with. Decision-makers are concerned about the bottom-line: what results will you get me and how soon?


5. Don’t be respectful with prospects and customers. Give a handshake that does not feel like a “dead fish”. Make eye contact. Don’t clear your throat too much which is a sign that someone is not telling the truth. Turn your cell phone off. Don’t be evasive in your answers which they read as you’re trying to hide something or you have no knowledge of what you’re talking about. Don’t talk small talk with someone who wants to get to the bottom-line immediately. Listen. Remember people’s names you’re introduced to. A lot of little things that add up to the whole. If enough are missing, you will be ”missing” when the best vendors are invited back in for the next job.


Customer Service, like sports, is a “contact sport” that requires you to acquire the necessary skills, improve those skills, and execute those skills. If you do, you will become a true professional. If you don’t, you’ll just remain an order taker.