Myths, Facts and The Big Fat Lie

I personally think there are myths, there are facts and there are just big gigantic lies from the pit of hell. (😮‍💨 sorry for being so emotional)

Please who else has heard about this story of the match between Nigeria and India that the score was India 99 - 1 Nigeria. Tales even have it that the Nigerian player that scored that one goal died on the pitch and hence India has since then been banned from FIFA.

This story has been successfully passed on to generations and lie or not, I’m telling it to my kids. I can’t be the only one that’s deceived 😇. We will all find out the truth at the appointed time.

While we are at it, we must not forget to pay homage to the man/woman that initiated this. Kudos! 

Now this is one very popular football myth that almost everyone has heard of. The same is applicable to customer support. There are myths, facts and some big fat lies.

Myth: The customer is always right

Fact: Customer is King

This myth right here is one that sits on the fence between a myth and a big fat lie. Yes, we know that the customer is king but that doesn’t mean the customer is right about everything but since customer support is not a game of who is right or wrong, it is important to take customers opinion and feedback into consideration. 

Note that the wrong opinion of one customer can help you understand other similar customers better and also redefine your product and service in order to eliminate that wrong perception.

Myth: Strict protocols assure a high service quality

Fact: Proactive customer service creates marketing opportunities

It is imperative that businesses and customer’s success teams alike should have structure and protocols that they follow. While this is good, it can sometimes be rigid and not allow for out of the box resolutions. Note that while we try to think of all possible scenarios (we can’t think them all), there will always be some divergents that don’t follow any rule in your book. 

Being proactive puts you in a better position to control the narratives. My personal motto is; Rules that do not put me behind the counter or cause any harm are meant to be broken.

Myth:Customer acquisition is paramount

Fact: Not everyone is your customer

Not everyone is your customer. Know this and know peace!

While it is good to have a lot of customers, having a customer base who are not the right fit for your product and who are not getting value from your product can be liken to a ticking time bomb.

It’s not you, it’s them and vice versa. 

The product probably wasn’t designed for their demographic and hence, they will not get value from it and that’s the making of a bad relationship.

So other than just acquiring customers, ensure that your product is offering them the value that they need.

Myth:Customers seek personal connection

Fact: Customers seek resolution

While I can understand the need to build  personal connections with customers for retention and in order to understand them better, as a customer, I am not coming to you for emotional bonding, I have a want or need that your product or services meet and that's it.

Of what good is personal connection when I cannot get complaints resolved?

And that’s it on the myth, fact and the big fat lie.

Cheers,

Seun