I had an experience moments ago with Staples that reminded me of the number one source of customer defection (and anger) – Being Treated With an Attitude of Indifference.

According to the famous customer defection research done by TARP, the #1 reason for customers leaving – in fact nothing came even close to it – was being treated with indifference.

Customer service reps show indifference by:

1. Not apologizing for mistakes

2. Chatting with colleagues while the customer waits

3. Not acknowledging the customer’s distress (e.g. not saying things like “I can understand why you’re so frustrated.”)

4. Not bothering to do research to find an answer or giving up after a weak try

5. Not following up when they say they will

It was interesting with my Staples interaction because the first person showed concern while the second didn’t. So, while one person built their reputation, the other diminished it.

Here’s what happened…

I emailed a file to be printed and asked for a confirmation email, so I knew they had received it. When none arrived, I called this morning to check. When I explained to the woman on the phone that I hadn’t gotten a confirmation as I had requested, which made me wonder if it hadn’t arrived, she said “Oh sorry, let me check.”

Perfect. As a customer, I get it that she cares. Even though at this point, we don’t know if them not sending a confirmation was a mistake or was because they never got the email, she indicates concern over my having to follow up.

Classic, gracious, concerned customer service…

I hear in the background a young man saying that he did get the email. I asked to talk with him and said that I had requested a confirmation and if he could do that in the future I would appreciate it.

“No problem” was his response in a cool, matter of fact way. No “Sorry I forgot” or “Sorry about that”.

No indication that he cares about having dropped the ball.

While that’s a little thing compared to some of the more outrageous examples of customer service indifference we have all experienced, it’s a good example of how indifference can leave a sour taste in the mouth of a customer and offset the good experiences other employees create.

So… make sure you:

1) hire people who care about service, care about helping people, and demonstrate empathy

2) keep it fresh in your customer service rep’s minds about what it’s like from the customer’s side of the interaction, including being inconvenienced

3) remind them to acknowledge and apologize when customers are inconvenienced or they make a mistake

4) if they don’t think it’s important, they’re costing you in terms of customer loyalty, so don’t let that go unaddressed

One final thing... as I'm sure you know (but it's worth being reminded) the more you model concern for your customer service people, the more they "get it".

By the way, the power of showing you care about your employees cannot be overstated. Here's what former Gallup research Marcus Buckingham said about the impact of caring:

“I’d like to replace this skill (managers caring for their employees) with one that is more hard-edged, more tangible, but there’s no getting around the data. A multiple of research studies confirm that employees are more productive when they feel that someone at work cares about them.”

“Employees who feel cared about are less likely to miss work, less likely to have accidents, less likely to file workers compensation claims, less likely to steal, less likely to quit, more likely to recommend the company to friends and family.”

Marcus Buckingham in “The One Thing You Need to Know: ... About Great Managing, Great Leading, and Sustained Individual Success”

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