Customer Service Nightmares: Everyone in customer service has something that keeps them up at night. We collect the worst.

The customer experience is what you will distinguish in 2022. Even in spite of limited resources, CX leaders can build a great customer experience – including by making smart use of technology.

But we know it’s not easy. A negative review is often enough to keep you awake, and an angry customer on the phone will give you shivers anyway. But it is the same the other way around: customer services do not always have a good reputation and cause a lot of annoyance among consumers.

We’ve rounded up five of the scariest customer service nightmares to help you build a better CX strategy for your brand.

#1 The Operator’s Revenge

A man drove into a McDonald’s drive through with his nine-year-old son for a quick meal. After waiting 15 minutes for his order, his patience ran out.

He was apparently extremely hungry and asked for his money back. And then things escalated.

The cashier called the manager, who was visibly upset about the refund request. She told the customer, “Yeah, we’re tired of people coming here saying, ‘It’s taking too long. It’s taking too long.’ Go somewhere else!”

This really is the cardinal sin of customer service – losing your patience while interacting with a customer.

The customer immediately uploaded the video of his experience on social media and that didn’t work out well for the brand. McDonalds as a brand has built its reputation on speed and efficiency. This experience severely damaged the fast food company’s brand perception.

What should you take from this? Politeness is perhaps the simplest yet most impactful action that helps brands engage with disgruntled customers. Always be nice and never take out your bad mood on a customer.

#2 Is it a queue… or is it Limbo?

Despite the numerous channels available for customer support, the telephone conversation still predominates for customers. After all, there really is no substitute for real human interaction.

Every now and then you just want to talk to an employee, even if it’s just to put your mind at ease.

Customers don’t like being put on hold and having to listen to a pre-recorded voice. Or if they are put on hold for hours for a simple question that can be solved in ten minutes, such as a cancellation. One of the biggest customer service nightmares is not knowing where you stand for hours.

As a business, if you want to improve your phone support, consider using customer service tools on the market.

For example, live chat can help answer short questions quickly and give your customer the option to do something else while waiting.

#3 The Silence of the Agents

Transparency is service to the customer. Do not leave your customers in the dark, because then they will choose your competitor who is more transparent.

People have more confidence in companies and products that are open and ethical. They hate hidden costs or complicated pricing.

Some companies often resort to silence or simply don’t respond to difficult customers. Such a situation frustrates and frightens the customer; he feels alienated and lost.

Always answer. Even if you don’t have an answer. It is also very rude to ignore your customer.

#4 I Know What You Did…

Negative emotions have a lot of power. They make you cranked up, stressed and ruin a perfect day. That’s exactly why negative word of mouth is disastrous for your customer experience. Research shows that 90% of customers read all reviews before making a decision and that negative reviews are more influential than positive ones.

A negative review breaks your brand and a positive one can make it.

Of course, negative feedback is not the end of the world. Customers complain, that’s part of it. But you should always know how to deal with them, don’t let them run away or get even angrier, because then the end will be lost.

#5 The Dead Line

Customers love to hear from you and they also expect you to have the answers to all their questions. Nothing is more annoying than not hearing from a company or having to make an effort to ask a question.

Communicate with your customers on their preferred channel, provide personalized interactions and understand your customer’s sentiment.

Implement omnichannel support or use AI to analyze interactions.

But above all, stay informed, interact with customers, and create content that is relevant to them. The most important thing is that you deal with them politely, professionally and peacefully.

Prevent customer service nightmares, even after Halloween!