When You Think No One Can Hear You

What do you say about your customers when you think they can not hear you? Would you change what you verbalize if you knew they were listening?

I have recently had two encounters with companies where their representatives made a comment about our interaction when they thought I could not hear them. I find both of these occurrences to be absolutely hilarious. Sometimes we say things about our customers (who are people after all) that we clearly should not. Some things are just better left unsaid or internalized.

Let me be perfectly clear that I was not being rude or difficult as the customer in either of these situations - just in case you are thinking that I might have deserved it!

The first incident was in a drive-thru of a coffee shop. I placed my order clearly. I asked for a large coffee with a half cream and a single sugar. The representative asked for clarification…”did you say half a cream”? I politlely replied “yes, please”. She gave me my total and asked me to drive up. All good right? Well, this is when things went off the rails on her end. She thought she had turned her mic off and proceeded to make a derogatory comment about what I had just ordered. Since I had paused to pull out my wallet…I heard her commentary through the speaker. What is one to do in that situation (”no tip for you!”)?

The second incident happened today on the phone. I received a telemarketing call from a company selling magazine subscriptions. I politely informed the agent that I really was not a fan of the magazine she was pitching. She responded…”we have other magazines at great rates as well” and proceeded to introduce the offers on two women’s magazines. I simply responded…”those are magazines targeted to women and I would really not be interested in reading them”. She asked…”do you have a wife”? (which is a risky question in a phone solicitation). I acknowledged “yes, but she’s not home at the moment”. She immediately said good-bye and “assumed” she had disconnected the call. She then proceeded to make her own set of “offline commentary” regarding our interaction.

Should these two ladies be embarrassed? I should think so, if they discovered they had been overheard. In both cases I did not take personal offense. Many customers however could and would have. How would the ownership of these businesses feel about being represented in this manner? I think the lesson we need to learn is that we need to treat every customer with respect. That has to be something ingrained in our culture and training of those who represent us. If we can remember that we are dealing with people and treat others the way we would like to be treated it will all work out much better for everyone. Sometimes we should make sure our inside voice doesn’t break out and express itself verbally. It is not a good representation of us, our employer, or our product.

The rule is simple: treat your customers with respect and you can never go wrong on any level - and no one will feel embarrased.