List-en up! episode 2: Etiquette: the Ticket to Great Service [9:36m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download
List-en up! episode 2: Etiquette: the Ticket to Great Service [9:36m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | DownloadThe second episode of List-en up! is all about etiquette, and how being polite to the people you hire can make your life simpler. Though the highly rated contractors we spoke with have generally had good experiences with Angie’s List members, they do have some stories about rude, obnoxious customers who made life difficult. Peter Post (of the Emily Post Institute) and several service professionals offer some great tips about common courtesy and how it can ensure a great experience, whether you’re hiring a painter, mechanic, or handyman.
Really excellent work, Tristan. Great quotes from the service professionals, too. Keep up the nice work!
Thanks, Eric! I appreciate your compliments (and especially the fact that you listened!)
- T
Sounds great. Great topic. I have a friend who is posted on Angie’s list who has some of the same complaints. Its funny to listen to but so true.
Thanks, Amy! This is definitely an important topic, as anyone who pays anyone else for a service knows (you’d have to live in a cave not to!) It doesn’t matter if you’re hiring a caterer, dog-walker, massage therapist, or just ordering a burger at a drive thru: if you’re rude to the person who’s helping you, odds are that the negativity you send will come back to you.
We at Angie’s List hear a LOT of funny/sad/alarming stories about courtesy - but there’s only so much time in the day to podcast
This ROCKS! When can we see the video????? Mary, ilistpaducah.com
There won’t be a video for this episode, per se, but we’re looking into doing video in the future. Thanks for asking!
A service provider gave me a great suggestion. He said he was able to call me back after leaving him a message because I spoke clearly and slowly while leaving my number. He often has to listen to voice messages 3 or more times to understand the content. Sometimes it is so unclear that he is unable to return the call. Understandably, it is not fair to grade a service provider poorly for not returning a phone call when they made a reasonable effort to do so. People don’t enunciate information that is often repeated verbally such as addresses and phone numbers. When leaving a message, speak slowly and clearly to increase your chances of a return phone call.
Thanks for the great tip, Michael! We do indeed get reports from Angie’s List members about service providers not calling back. Sometimes, highly rated service providers get such reports, saying that they didn’t respond to a request for an estimate. In cases like this, the problem could very well be the issue you mention, that the customer didn’t enunciate and was hard to understand. Clear communication seems like common sense, but it’s easy to forget its importance, especially if your basement is flooding and you need plumbing help ASAP!
Your comment brings up another good point, Michael: it’s wise for Angie’s List members to dig in and read other members’ reports on service providers, rather than taking one review and its grades at face value. If one member gave all F’s because they didn’t get a call back, but 10 other members gave all A’s for great service, odds are something like the issue you mention, Michael, could be the case. As with most things, it helps to do your research when hiring a service provider/contractor.
Anyone else have suggestions for good etiquette? I’m sure we didn’t cover everything in this episode, and I know there are a lot of contractors, plumbers, dog groomers, mechanics, etc. who have dealt with rude customers! Don’t be afraid; throw in your two cents (it’s worth it to you and your customers!)
I’m a new member of Angie’s List. Browsing through the web site today, I came upon your site. I love it. I’m a contractor, mostly doing windows and doors. I care very much about the way customers react to their experience with me. I try to treat the homes of people I work for as if they were mine (sometimes better). I know many contractors don’t think like this, but I also know many who do. Unfortunately, the bad made life much harder for the good.
I’ve found most people are not that hard to work for. Most have realistic expectations and are a pleasure to deal with. Some contractors who find customers too “picky” just don’t have very high standards.
Although quality work and reasonable prices are always important, in my opinion the most important thing to most people is honesty. Maybe integrity would be a better word. I try to follow the Golden Rule. That seems to work pretty well.
I know I’m kinda rambling here, but I’m a little idealistic and old fashioned, and I can really get wound up talking about the general lack of ethics in business today. Keep it up. I think what you’re doing is a good thing.
Thanks for the kind words, Ken! Basic ethics seem to be lacking in many aspects of the world today, with contractor/home services being just one of those. I hope the etiquette episodes of the podcast help out in some way. We’re releasing another episode on etiquette, from the customer’s point of view, so look for it soon.
Having worked a couple of customer service jobs, including in retail settings, I would say that courtesy from customers is enormously important. I would not expect any worker to tolerate abuse from a customer, though I would expect the employee to handle such a situation with impecable manners. I have had very few situations where customers become annoyed with me, but one thing I do when I feel frustration arising in myself or in the other party during an encounter is just to name it. I’ll say something like.. “Excuse me, but I’m beginning to feel that our conversation is going in a direction that I don’t think either one of us wants it to go toward. I really do want to help you solve your problem. Let’s see if we can’t get back on track.” I also think honesty goes a long way. I’ve worked for companies that have a policy of never admitting to a customer in a complaint situation, that the company is in the wrong. Perhaps the company fears future legal repurcussions of admitting an error? In any case, in my own actual practise I find few things help move a complaint situation along so well as saying.. “You are right, you should not have had that experience and we are sorry. What can we do now to make things right and re-establish good business relations with you?” I generally find that after hearing that customers become a lot easier to work with. As a customer I have found the most powerful thing I can do is acknowledge that company policy limits what an employee can do for me. When I begin to feel that I am stuck with a decision I really don’t like I’ll say something like “Excuse me. I know that you don’t make policy and that you don’t have the authority to do what I’m asking. Would you please find someone in management who can discuss this policy with me?” Thanks for allowing me the chance to contribute to this conversation!
Sounds like you’re a true professional, Mary
Based on your comments and experience, it sounds like another good piece of advice would be to simply take a few deep breaths before responding to rudeness or complaints, either as a customer or as an employee. I think this helps people think about what they’re going to say before they say it and helps prevent them from saying something rude that they’d end up regretting. Personally, patience is a virtue that I’m always working towards, and I know that taking a few breaths can help to prevent the escalation of a situation.
Thanks for offering great advice! Anyone else have some real-world experiences they’d like to share?