Is your company rude?
Got your attention, didn’t I? Well, I think about this a lot. I make a lot of phone calls and research people online, and I have to say, it is surprising what employees do and how it reflects on their companies. Maybe I’m having an off day and focusing on the bad, and comical, but hopefully your company is not reflected below in examples of un-corporate behaviour:
Do your employees:
Tell a caller they won’t put them through, refuse to spell a name, or just hang up
Not return calls or respond to emails, even to just say they aren’t interested
Go to a trade show and then be rude to booth personnel
At a conference, meeting or training event talk about confidential or unflattering information about your company
At a social or networking event over-indulge in alcohol
While identified as your employee (company truck, in company uniform, wearing company logos) use inappropriate behaviour or language
Ask for a favour, kickback or swag to connect outsiders to other employees
Post inappropriate, controversial or just plain weird information and photos on Linked In
Create a profile on Linked In and then restrict it to everyone
Tune your telephone “hold” music to inappropriate radio stations
I can tell you, I’ve experienced all of these, and more. The rudest person to me was so rude that I actually burst out laughing because I couldn’t believe they had just done what they did! (That didn’t make them any more polite, by the way.) I wonder what is going on in someone’s mind to behave poorly, especially when representing your company. I do, however, get great examples to use in our Customer Service training programs.
So, how do you think your company is doing? What do you think your customers and vendors experience when they try to contact you? Maybe it is time to find out.
Like mystery shoppers, you could easily use a generic phone or email account and shop your own company to see how your employees do. Hopefully you’ll be pleasantly surprised, but if not, at least you will know and be able to do something about it.
Feel free to call me and see how my company does