Five Ways To Lose Your Customer

by Larry Jason

Editor's Note: Although the author's background is in the pharmaceutical industry, the principles he articulates in this article are applicable anywhere. This article would be a great tool to spark discussion in your in-house customer service training. Ask your employees to think about -- and tell you -- of instances where they've seen these ways to lose customers appear in a banking context.

It can take real effort to lose a customer. In my 50 years of retail pharmacy experience, I have observed several very effective ways. If you are a service or product provider, and you recognize yourself in my discussion, please understand that you are not alone.

Don't Listen.
You are much too busy with your work to listen to the customer. Doesn't he know that you have work to do? He will just have to wait, or come back later, when YOU have the time. Nothing he could possibly want to discuss can be more important than the work you are doing at the moment.

Many years ago, I was working in a pharmacy, and overheard a customer asking for a tube of Vicks Vaporub to be used to treat chest congestion in his child. I asked him how old his child was, and was told the child was ONE week old. Vicks Vaporub is a safe and effective product, but is NOT intended for use on an infant. He could have caused serious harm to the infant's skin.

Listen but don't hear.
Whatever input he might have to offer is not worth hearing. You know your job better than he, so why bother paying any attention to him? After all, aren't you the one getting paid to do the job? Just be polite, but tune him out.

At one point in my career, I was working in a neighborhood with a large ethnic population. Among this population a popular remedy for sore, aching muscles, was massage with alcohol and wintergreen, a product which was not stocked in our store. I could have easily taken the position that someone else made the decisions as to what we stocked, and told the customer to "try elsewhere". Instead, I ordered a small quantity of the product from an outside supplier. The response was so positive, I was able to convince my superior that we should stock and display the item. By "hearing" what the customer was saying, I was able to better serve our customers.

Ignore Complaints or Suggestions.
You know that you are doing the job in the best way it can possibly be performed. The client's complaint is based on HIS needs, not the realities of your service. You wonder how well he would do, if he were in your shoes.

The company I worked for had a sign posted in the "employees only" area of its stores, Paraphrased, it said that our best customers were the ones who complained, because they gave us the opportunity to improve.

Never Offer a Resolution to the Problem.
Shrug your shoulders and sigh "Oh well" or "oops"(my favorite). Resolutions may simply require the replacement of a product, or the adjustment of a bill, but it is much easier to say, " What do you expect me to do?".

I worked with a store manager who once remarked that he would never allow a customer with a complaint to leave the store until the problem was resolved to the customer's satisfaction. To make his point, he told the story of a customer who was dissatisfied with a meat purchase. He came into the store, irate and argumentative, and demanded to speak with the manager. The manager approached him, and when he was met with a tirade, he quietly asked the customer if he could get him a cup of coffee, so they could discuss the problem. The manager then listened to the complaint, without interruption. He then offered to resolve the problem by giving the customer a refund for the unsatisfactory meat; and replace the meat at no charge. The customer was surprised, and no longer belligerent. The manager then asked him if the resolution he offered was satisfactory. He explained that he didn't want him to leave until he (the customer) felt his complaint was settled properly. As the manager explained to me, he was not going to allow a few dollars worth of meat cause him to lose the customer.)

Deny Any Errors.
No matter what the problem, you must remain steadfast in your denial of any responsibility. If a problem has arisen, you are certain it has been HIS fault. He didn't use the product correctly, or assemble it correctly, or HE misinterpreted the instructions, or ordered the wrong item.

If a customer misuses a product it is rarely done intentionally. When I was still in pharmacy school, a professor told the >
Lastly, remember that despite the old adage, the customer is not "always right", but he is always the customer!

Copyright ? 2000 Larry Jason

First published on BankersOnline.com 8/20/01

Larry Jason is a freelance writer. He draws upon his fifty years of experience in the retail pharmacy business, including 45 years as a pharmacist- manager, for writing ideas.

Larry may be reached at 301-438-8292 or by e-mail at carolejas@aol.com.