Okay, so I am far from a customer service guru.  However, I do have 17 years experience in the industry at all levels of customer service from clerk behind counter, to ice cream shop supervisor, to customer rep/tech support grunt, to customer service & billing department manager, to lead support rep.  I’ve been through the ringer from the service side of customer service.

They say that doctors and nurses make the worst patients. I have also seen the opposite be true. My mother was  a career psychiatric nurse and I watched her be both the best and worst patient when under hospital care. Both of those stemmed from the same source: she knew the job, what it took, and how to do it.

The same is true in customer service. From the service side I know what it is like on the far end of the phone/email thread/chat log.

I make it a point of pride to be both very courteous when I am being a customer in the customer service equation, and I also take pride in being veryu effective at getting what I need/want from the interaction.  Here are my tips for doing the same:

1. Courtesy – This goes a long way.  Try and remember that the person on the other end of the line (or other side of the counter) is not the problem. They are who you are speaking with to resolve the problem, and you want them on your side. Be civil. Explain your issue, and how you would like it resolved in a clear and concise way, and patiently re-explain anything that needs it until the human being on the service side knows what you need.
2. Don’t get annoyed by use of scripts – This can be tough, but it’s worth it. Most of the time the person on the service side is working with a trained formula on how to process calls.  Let them do their thing. It’s alright to interject for clarity, but if you suddenly interrupt you will knock them off their train and now you have a confused human being to deal with.
3. Talk to the Manager – Every customer service worker has a certain set of things they are able to do. They can’t do more, so pressing them to will result only in frustration and antagonism.  They also do not know the full range of what is possible. That’s not their job. Don’t blame them for it. However, once they have told you that they are “unfortunately unable to help you”, ask for a manager or supervisor. There are always more buttons that can be pushed. Make it clear that you are not escalating in order to make a complaint, but simply because you understand that they are not able to assist yu, so you would like to speak with someone higher up who might be able to.

Remember you always get more with a carrot than a stick.  Use the Golden Rule, treat the human being helping you like you would like to be treated.

What are your tips for effectively dealing with customer service workers?