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December
16, 2002:
Holiday Shopping Hints
Interview
with Karen Leland, author of Customer
Service for Dummies
Mike
Carruthers:
Especially at this time of year, getting good customer service
in retail stores can be a challenge.
Karen
Leland:
I think there are things consumers could do that could enhance
their ability to get better customer service.
Customer
service consultant Karen Leland, co-author of the book Customer
Service for Dummies, says an important rule for holiday
gift shopping
If you're
buying a gift for someone, do not shop at a store that does
not have a 100% refund or an exchange policy, because what you
end up with is a situation where someone has something they
don't want or they want to return and then they have trouble
or stress returning it.
And as a
general rule, Karen says if you want good customer service,
you need to get the customer service provider on your side.
So things
like making direct eye contact with the salesclerk as soon as
possible, greeting them in a pleasant way-"Good morning,
good afternoon", using "please"-making "I"
statements instead of "you" statements so that they
don't get on the defensive. For example, saying "I'm frustrated
that I can't get help" works better than "You're not
being helpful."
Karen says
if you're shopping in a department store, always look for the
shortest check-out line. Just because something can from the
men's department doesn't mean you can't pay for it in the babies'
department.
Another
idea for getting good customer service is to be clear and concise
and direct in your request. Always writing down the name of
someone who helped you-that's such a simple one and we always
forget to do it. Then you call and they go, "Well, who
helped you?" And you go, "I don't know." And
another thing is, use the knowledge of the salesperson, asking
for their suggestions. They often know more than we give them
credit for.
At somethingyoushouldknow.net.
I'm Mike Carruthers and that's "Something You Should Know."
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