Stop treating consumers like liabilities; treat 'em like people

摘要

At some point in the second half of the 20th century, the belief that the "customer is always right" turned itself inside out, transforming into the "customer is a potential liability."Businesses that once prided themselves on their human assets put up levees and bulwarks to keep consumers from conversing with a human being. The measure of a job well done-for those on the business end of the phone-isn't whether or not they help the customer, but how quickly they get the customer off the phone.We here at The Consumerist know. At least 100 complaints roll into our inboxes each day. That's more than 36,000 consumers who are angry enough at a company to write to us each year. But there are opportunities for businesses to retain, and even gain, customers, if they can behave like hu-mans. Here are six ways to better satisfy customers.