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I know I know . . The customer is always right. . . or at least they should be treated as if they are always right. But when and where do you draw the line?
The question arises after speaking with a top salesperson, Ted. A few days ago, you had problems with a client. The customer was being lazy and Ted simply asked for clarification. From that point on, the customer was rude and kept attacking Ted. He even had a phone call on his cell phone and proceeded to talk about Ted and how “rude” HIM was to the caller. Then when Ted had to interrupt their conversation to get paid, he was even worse than rude, according to her. When he asked the customer to sign his credit card, a requirement of the company, he became an “idiot” and an “a_____e”. Ted says, “I don’t know what their problem was, but I certainly didn’t enjoy being insulted. I couldn’t think of anything I could do to improve the situation. I felt so helpless.”
There are two elements to this scenario. Mobile Phones First: What Are Sales and Service Personnel Doing About Mobile Phone Calls? I was shopping for stamps the other day at the post office and the person directly in front of me was chatting while the clerk behind the counter tried to help her with a purchase. He didn’t say anything to her, but he apologized to me after she left because it took me longer to help her than it should.
The Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department has signs on its information desk that say, “Please turn off your cell phone so we can better serve you.” I asked an employee about the need for the sign and she said, “People were driving us crazy.” When people talk on the phone, they seem to be in their own little world. “The problem wasn’t just people at the counter talking on the phone. Phones also cause an increase in overall noise, making it more difficult to have meaningful conversations at the counter.”
Let’s hang up the cell phones for a while and go back to rude customers. Personally, I believe that once a customer engages in abusive behavior, they no longer deserve the service. I do not like to be called nicknames (even when it is said to a third party and it is not done directly as with Ted) and I would not subject any employee to this treatment.
I think Ted handled the situation very well. He remained calm and completed the transaction. Your next step should be to discuss the situation with your manager and let the manager draw the line and provide alternatives for dealing with rude customers. That way, Ted is protected.
For rude cell phone users, I really like the simple touch of the sign. The sign says it all. He’s polite with a “please.” It tells the customer that we want to serve them. It is not threatening. . . and draw the line. . . Someone has to do it.