
For Customers, Perception Is More Important Than Reality - Helprace
http://helprace.com/blog/customer-service-is-more-perception-less-reality
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dqv
Sometimes a customer makes a downright irrational complaint. I don't really
understand what they're complaining about or how to resolve the issue.

So I ask them to fill out a simple form: What happened? What did we do wrong?
What is your desired resolution?

Often by the second question, they begin to realize we did exactly what they
wanted (and no I don't mean we did it in a smart aleck way) and that maybe
they're being irrational. By the third question, they get a perspective check:
"how would _I_ do this?"

Or they don't... and then explain in detail what they didn't like. We then
address the complaint to the satisfaction of the customer.

I only use this in specific situations, but it's very effective.

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touristtam
The perception thing is very real and that is what has driven the German
automaker to tweak the sound the doors are making on their cars. Here are a
few references. They are recent as this sound engineering has been going on
for longer than the newspaper have been reporting online.

* [https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2014-08-05/mercedes-...](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2014-08-05/mercedes-doors-have-a-signature-sound-here-s-how) * [http://www.bmwblog.com/2014/12/22/perfect-car-door-sound-mad...](http://www.bmwblog.com/2014/12/22/perfect-car-door-sound-made-bmw/) * [http://mediatum.ub.tum.de/doc/1138344/369710.pdf](http://mediatum.ub.tum.de/doc/1138344/369710.pdf) * [http://emea.nttdata.com/blog/en/its-all-about-sound-how-car-...](http://emea.nttdata.com/blog/en/its-all-about-sound-how-car-manufacturers-make-themselves-heard/) * [https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00849046/document](https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00849046/document)

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sogen
Thanks, similar to how Harley-Davidson engineered how their bike muffler
'should' sound

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samkite
Every time I read about this type of stories, where they show a small example
of how our minds can be "tricked" by such simple tricks or stimuli, I always
get afraid about all the other more important situations where this might be
happening but we are not aware of it (choosing a career, deciding to get
married to someone, etc)

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ForRealsies
Electing a president, for example. (paging Scott Adams)

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malloryerik
So what's better, to review email responses and therefore have a longer
response time, or to focus on fast responses? I've read that replying within
twenty or thirty minutes makes an enormous difference.

[http://ground-glass.com/the-one-thing-you-must-do-when-
reply...](http://ground-glass.com/the-one-thing-you-must-do-when-replying-to-
inquiries/)

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0xdeadbeefbabe
Suppose the customer wants a sandwhich, but you give them a perception of a
sandwhich instead?

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debt
This would be true in a crowded marketplace driven primarily by sales.

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I_am_neo
There is no spoon

