customer service posts

By Cassie Nolan
AOL Jobs

Employers love to put nice people in customer service positions. Especially if they're authentically nice people -- I'm talking about the kind it's impossible to get mad at because they're just naturally so dang polite and pleasant. It's obvious that they genuinely want to solve everyone's problems, and they're working really hard to make it happen.

This setup makes sense (put nice employees in front of clients = a no-brainer) and works out well for all involved -- except you, the sweetheart professional.

For you, the arrangement is stressful and trying and leads to major job dissatisfaction. Here's why:

You probably don't know Dave Carroll, but you definitely know what happened to him. He's the guy who took a United Airlines flight from Halifax to Nebraska with a connection at Chicago's O'Hare Airport, only to sit on the tarmac there and watch the baggage crew fling his -- WAIT! I'll let him explain it ...














That video has over 1.5 million views on Youtube (1,556,231 to be exact) and counting. When the video first debuted in 2009, Carroll's plight was picked up by every major news outlet worldwide, from the big four of CBS, ABC, NBC and FOX to 24 hour news networks like CNN, MSNBC and FOX News.

"Sometimes things live on the internet and they get their 10 million hits, but it's only there," says Carroll. "United Breaks Guitars was happening at the same time and both sides, the traditional media side and the online viral component, were working to fan the flames of each other, so it became a worldwide traditional media story and a worldwide viral hit at the same time, which was intense."

The whole crazy story is chronicled in Carroll's new book, United Breaks Guitars: The Power of One Voice in the Age of Social Media along with the beginnings of his new company Gripevine. Gripevine is a website where people can post their customer complaints which are forwarded past frontline customer service reps to the executives who can do something about it. These executives then get an opportunity to phone the person back and resolve the gripe for them.

There are a lot of people out there who call themselves social media experts or gurus. They may or may not know what they're talking about, but that's a topic for another day. Every once and a while though you cross paths with a company that truly gets it. It's exciting when that happens. It's even more exciting when you see that they've done it by themselves.

Last year, Mathieu Gagne was disassembling cars. Today he works in a service and technology role. In a company of 200 people, his employer noted his passion for cars and for eBay, and put him to work on the task of moving the company's inventory for sale online.

Today, a little more than a year later, Lecavalier Auto Parts is being honoured by eBay Canada in the lineup of entrepreneur awards the auction company dishes out each year to some of their exceptional shop owners.

In a world where everyone can be connected through mobile phones and wifi, can send text, instant message or tweet for info, when it comes to customer service, we want to to speak with someone.

American Express released the results of its annual Global Customer Service Barometer, a study which examines the changing attitude of consumers towards customer service and the impact on business.

One of the main revelations of the study was that 89 per cent of those surveyed would prefer to speak to a 'real person' in customer service to resolve any problem or concern.

The survey also reveals other habits of consumers when it comes to customer service, and how we share information about customer service experiences.

It's important to have a good relationship with your bank; after all, you're entrusting it with your life's savings, investments and debts -- and paying fees to boot. Luckily for Canadians, we've an array of good banks. But which one should you choose?

In terms of general customer satisfaction, credit union customers are Canada's happiest bankers, according to a Financial Post article based on a poll of more than 2,000 adults compiled by Forum Research in March. The poll shows that 74% of credit union members are "very satisfied" with their institution.

Among the big banks, Bank of Montreal has the highest percentage of happy customers, with 72% saying they are "very satisfied" with the service they receive. But not all banks perform so well.

There is an art to getting what you want. I have a friend who never pays full price for anything. He always gets upgraded at hotels, free bottles of wine with dinner, and discounts on his home entertainment packages. He's a keen bargainer and an even better complainer.

Most people, including me, would not be able to pull off what this friend of mine can. It involves digging your heels in and sounding very authoritative about your complaint, even if you are in the wrong.

While my pal sometimes goes a little too far and resorts to rudeness, his behaviour is counter-balanced by another friend of mine who doesn't go far enough. After being robbed in Peru and stranded there without a passport for three months, her insurance company has now 'forgotten' to process the claim -- twice!

Investing in work clothes, especially men's suits, is a long-term prospect for most people, considering the average price of a suit ranges from $200-$500. Unlike women who love the hunt and discovery of shopping, most men prefer the one-stop shopping approach.

Perhaps that's why Canadian men's retailer Harry Rosen, well-known for its high quality and luxe labels such as Hugo Boss, Giorgio Armani and Canali, offers its regular customers a maintenance package that would make any shopper swoon.

For the lifetime of any garment purchased from Harry Rosen, the original owner will be able to bring it back to the store for maintenance or alterations, free of charge. From replacing a button to altering the garment a size up or down, the on-site tailors will take care of the garment and when possible, on the same day. These services are complimentary and available at all of Harry Rosen's 14 locations across Canada.

But women can also benefit from the boys club standards. Brooks Brothers, a venerable American menswear company that recently entered the Canadian market, provides complimentary maintenance and basic alterations for garments purchased in their store for both male and female customers. Brooks Brothers currently has stores in Vancouver, Calgary and Toronto.

Maybe it's time for women's retailers to follow suit - Holt Renfrew, are you listening?