4. Do What You Say You Will When You Say You Will

You might feel you give great customer service, but unless you do what you say you will when you say you will, your customers are only going to remember that you were not reliable or dependable. They will forget about the great customer service you gave them up to that point.

Performance Prompts

• Always do what you say you will when you say you will. Period.

• If you make a commitment, make sure you meet it.

• When you need to get back to your customer, make a commitment you can keep. Think about the length of time you need to resolve the problem and make your commitment accordingly.

• Customers would rather have you commit to a realistic time frame than a time frame that sounds good but is unrealistic.

• If you made a commitment that you cannot meet, call your customer and explain the delay. Most customers are understanding as long as you are honest with them.

• When making commitments, never answer “as soon as possible” or “right away.” These time frames mean one thing to you, but they probably mean something different to your customer.

• Always give a definite commitment. Say, “I’ll get back to you by five on Friday,” rather than, “I’ll call you back when I have the answer.”

When This Happens ...

Ms. Robbins is upset with your company. She received an order this morning with two incorrect items. You told her you will check what happened and get back to her by five today with a resolution. She angrily says, “I need these items, and I want an answer within an hour.” You know you need more time to find out what went happened and devise the best solution.

Try This

Ms. Robbins is already upset, so choose your words carefully. You do not want to upset her further. “Ms. Robbins, I’d like to be able to call you back within the hour, but I need time to research what happened and find out how quickly we can get the correct products to you. I don’t want to tell you I’ll call you back within an hour when I know I won’t have my answer within that time frame. I’m going to work on this immediately, and I will definitely call you back with a resolution by five today.” Ms. Robbins will appreciate your confident and honest reply.

Reliability and dependability are important to customers.