by Rich Vurva

Subtle changes in the way customer service reps speak to customers can sometimes make a major difference in how customers feel about a company. A CSR’s tone of voice and choice of words can speak volumes about how a company treats customers.

Because my family frequently shops at a particular department store and we always pay our credit card bill in full each month, we’ve earned the status of “Most Valued Customer” with the store chain. The designation earns us special discounts throughout the year if we use that company’s credit card.

Earlier this year, when my payment arrived three days late, the store added a $25 late fee to my next bill. Thinking that was excessive, I called the company to ask if the fee could be waived, identifying myself as someone the store considers a Most Valued Customer.

“Whenever someone pays their bill late, we automatically add the $25 late fee,” the CSR said.

“But you can see from my payment history that I always pay my bill in full and this is the first time I’ve ever made a late payment,” I argued. After we went back and forth like this for a while, she finally relented by saying, “I guess we can waive the fee just this once.”

Even though I received what I asked for, I ended up feeling negative about the company. 

Think how much more positive the experience could have been if the CSR was trained to say, “We normally assess a $25 fee for late payments, but our records show that you’re one of our Most Valued Customers, and you regularly pay your bill on time. So, I’d be happy to waive the fee.”

Instead, the CSR’s negative attitude made me feel like a deadbeat, and I haven’t been back in the store since.

This editorial appeared in the September/October 2003 issue of Progressive Distributor magazine. Copyright 2003.

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