PEOPLE whose jobs require them to interact with the public must be conscious of the fact that what they say and/or do can either make or break the relationship with customers.

Many of you may have encountered a customer service representative (CSR) who gave you a cold response to an inquiry or who was otherwise completely unhelpful. At the same time, there are customers out there who, no doubt, have been rude to CSRs. And so bad has it been that, as the customer service representative, you had to ask the good Lord to help you to “kibber you mouth”.

Poor customer service reps

. The CSR whose only response to your inquires is ‘I don’t know’.

. The CSR who lacks enthusiasm and makes it appear as though you are bothering him/her.

. The CSR who ignores you in favour of continuing his/her telephone conversation.

. The CSR who gives you wrong information, causing you to waste both time and effort.

. The CSR who is never at his/her desk.

. The CSR who lacks diplomacy and is ‘politely’ rude with sarcastic comments and displays of unpleasant facial expression.

. The CSR who makes a promise to call you back but never does.

. The CSR who expects a favour in return for carrying out his job.

Unreasonable customers

. The customer who calls in to inquire about his bill without the relevant details, such as an account number, to get an accurate response.

. The customer who asks you to repeat the answer to a question you already answered three times before.

. The customer who believes he should not wait and is boisterous, always creating a scene.

. The customer who claims he is a friend of the boss and threatens to report you if he/she is not given special treatment.

. The customer who wants to touch you while making in appropriate remarks.

. The customer who demands that you break company rules and procedures in order to please him/her.

. The dishonest customer who seeks to blame you for his/her own mistakes.

Whether it is at work or at school, we all have a role to play to make life more pleasant for all – despite our role as customers and/or customer service representatives.

Wayne A Powell is a human resource professional. You can contact him at crisscounsellor@yahoo.com or www.crisscounselloronline.com.