How are You Treating Your Long-Time Loyal Clients?
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I recently had questionably the most aggressive and appalling customer service experience of my life. While it came from an unrelated industry it had me thinking and reflecting how I treat my long-time clients and customers. The cliff note story of my situation was through my wireless provider for work I have a mobile hotspot. While I was out of the country and there was no one who had access to the unit it skyrocketed using data. Was it a technical glitch? Did someone somehow from outside my space steal my password and use my data? Who knows. But upon returning I spoke with someone who made it seem like no big deal. They said to change the password, and I wouldnât be held responsible for the overage. I had to call back for assistance changing the password. I thought everything was fine until I got the bill. My bill was over $100 more than normal. So, I started a âchatâ. The agent I got put me through the ringer for over an hour making me feel like a criminal. I said I could provide proof I was not in the country. It was really a horrific experience which ultimately ended with the agent saying that because I talked to someone on the phone, they could only see the chat records. So, I called and thankfully got a good agent. He talked to me, apologized for their behavior and took it off my bill.
The thing is there are people out there always look for a way to scam people. I have done business with the wireless provider for almost 20 years. If it wasnât for the second agent, they would have lost me. Do I have a history of complaining to them? I never have. Have I ever asked for charges to be covered? Just this once.
While we all have experienced some type of treatment like this â although in my lifetime this might be questionably the worst I have experienced â but take these lessons on how you treat your guests. The customer may not always be right, but would it have been worth losing a 20-year customer over $101? On the flip side if you have a toxic client who is constantly taking and taking it may be better to let them go as gently and kindly as possible. Hopefully this blog post helps you reflect how you treat others and how you have been treated. What type of treatment and policies do you want to hold with your clients? How will you treat a long-time client with a similar situation?