Problems happen. Sometimes the company is at fault and sometimes the customer is at fault. Sometimes no one is at fault but there is still an issue to be resolved.

When a customer calls customers service with a problem, it does not matter who is at fault. The customer is already upset, and trying to lay blame for the problem does not help. It also does not help to further aggravate the situation.  If you can fix the problem or at least try to fix the problem, while being professional and efficient, then you will have gone a long way in repairing any damage the initial problem may have caused to your image with the customer.

Nip the problem in the bud. Do not exacerbate the problem by making it difficult to the customer to get help. How?

• Make it easy for the customer to reach a person who can help
• Make the exchange pleasant
• Be efficient
• Don’t make the customer wait for inordinate amounts of time
• Provide the information the customer requests

Seems obvious yet many companies are cutting back on human help so that it is hard to find someone who can help without having to jump through hoops or wait long periods of time.

If you don’t help someone when they need the help, the problem will grow from something fixable to an image problem. You will seem unhelpful and uncaring. In the long run, that will hurt your business. So remember to nip it in the bud!