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We complain about companies and their staff, even their ad agencies sometimes, for not delivering on their promises. What makes a good customer though? There are courses for the "supplier", true, split into many facets such as selling courses, call centre courses, ethics for business courses and hundreds more. Where are the courses for good customer behaviour? And I am not talking about the type of behaviour the marketing and advertising agencies tend to analyse such as purchasing behaviour and purchasing trends for instance.

What should customers do to get companies to behave properly to them? As customers we don't like it when we receive bad service in shops, the very expensive restaurant serves us food which we did not ask for, or when the call centre we contact gives us the wrong information because their staff have not been informed. We hate it when four different people from the same company phone to sell us the same service or when they don't bother to advise on some new service they are offering. There are many more instances where we the customer, put up with "bad behaviour" and we don't do anything about it.

What would a course cover that would teach customers how to look after their interests? Here are a few suggestions:

1) Learn to stand up for your rights.
When you have been offended, treated badly or have had any one of your rights as a customer abused, then complain, speak up, make yourself heard, voice your complaint.

2) Address your complaints to the person who might do something about it.
Address your complaints to the CEO. The principle is" start at the top and work your way up". After all, the rest of the staff take their cue as to how to treat a customer from the way the CEO treats everybody around him/her.

3) Get publicity to support the point you are trying to make.
If the complaint is ignored, which is probable, then submit a letter or e-mail to newspapers, relevant customer or trade magazines, journals. Or post on your blog, discuss the issue on other relevant blogs, video yourself discussing the customer 'abuse' and post the video on YouTube.

4) No more Mister Nice-guy
We tend to think that it is bad manners to complain, or speak up when wronged. How many people complain about bad food at a restaurant? They don't complain because it's not the done thing. Well we should get over that. Learn to ignore this and realise that one does not need to have to take bad food, service etc. because it's bad manners to complain!

5) How to stay calm while suffering through bad customer service.
Of course, mostly customers tend to complain only once they are really upset, with the result that at this stage tempers have risen and it is generally quite difficult to be logical about any complaint that needs to be made. True defences against bad service or products are only really effective if they are delivered in a cold and calculated way, rather than screamed at the abusing staff member.

With all of the above in mind, I want to confirm my support for a 'customer' campaign started by a friend who has got a legitimate bitch regarding FACT. See if you want to support him by going to http:factoff.org. And oh, if you have any further suggestions on what a course on Customer-ing should cover, let me know.

Become a good customer - 5 points to ponder

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