Mind your manners. Be respectful. Customers come first. These are all phrases we’ve heard before, but do we always follow them? Unfortunately, it’s easy to fall into the trap of being impolite and discourteous, even though neither of those things are that difficult.
Courtesy Isn’t Common
You’ve probably heard the phrase “common courtesy,” but courtesy is anything but common these days. If you’ve been on the wrong end of a service encounter with someone who was just plain rude, the only result was that you probably didn’t want to go back to that company. No one likes repeating negative experiences, so the ways your employees are treating customers could be driving people away from your business. On the other hand, since it isn’t that common, a little courtesy goes a long way in building rapport with new or returning customers.
Politeness Starts Inside
If your customers are repeatedly having problems with your employees, then it might be time to look internally. Politeness towards customers can only happen in a company culture that respects people. That includes co-workers and managers in the company. If managers are being impolite towards the people they manage, then it will be difficult for those people to be polite to the people they are interacting with. Also, if co-workers are constantly at odds with each other, then there might be a problem with an overall impolite culture in the company. Fixing those internal problems can go a long way in creating a more polite and courteous customer experience.
Reputation is very important in business, and if your company is building a reputation of rudeness toward customers, then you will quickly lose the customers you have and any potential customers you might get. Being polite and courteous might seem trivial, but it can actually make the difference between a company that goes under and a company that thrives.
