7 Steps To Zappos-Quality Customer Service

By the time we talk to business owners, many have been burned by a credit card processor. They reach out because they have been lied to, promised lower rates, and altogether feel cheated. As the first point of contact for these users, I have a thin line to toe when establishing their trust and showing that our service is different than everyone else.  After all, why should they believe me?

How do I show that FeeFighters really is different, and is a transparent marketplace they can trust to find a good credit card processor? Here are some ways that I work to establish their trust and show that FeeFighters is really on their side.

1) Listen

When business owners gets burned by scumbag credit card processors, they feel terribly vulnerable since they were the ones who made a bad decision. Since a salesperson is usually involved, business owners also usually feel like they made a bad character decision. The first thing I do is listen to their story. Even if it takes a while, it’s important to recognize that these people have had a tough time and want to express their frustration. Listening is an important first step in establishing trust.

2) Empathize and Emphasize

Next, I always empathize with the business owner and relay my apologies for their situation. Showing emotion is so obviously human, and while it may seem trivial, don’t forget that this person has most likely been on call waiting and talking to voicemails trying to reach an actual human being. After that, it’s important to emphasize that the industry is broken. Even though it’s technically the business owner’s fault for not reading the fine print, the industry makes it really easy for processors to be sneaky. I tell business owners that I hear a similar story daily (which is absolutely true) and while their situation sucks, it is certainly not unique. Doing this displaces the blame from the business owner to an external factor, thus showing that it wasn’t their bad judgment but a greater problem.

3) Talk to Your Customers Like a Normal Person

The business world is cluttered with jargon that no longer possesses any meaning. When someone tells it to you straight, you can connect with that person because he/she is speaking your language and not the language of corporate BS (pardon my French).  You’d be surprised how many companies still send out standardized emails that feel like they were written 20 years ago. When I communicate with FeeFighters customers, I talk to them like I talk to my coworkers and friends. There is no need to be hoity toity.

4) Don’t Use Industry Specific Language without a Clear and Concise Explanation

Most people don’t know the first thing about credit card processing, so when industry specific language is used without explanation, business owners’ eyes can glaze over and they begin to feel hoodwinked. When I throw out a term like “downgrade” or  “mid qualified rate” I will always either explain in plain language what the term means, or better yet, I will link to a blog post that explains in detail what the term means.

5) Offer Resources

Supplying users with something of value is crucial. Whether it’s information, materials, or links elsewhere, offering resources empowers the business owner to get educated and not rely solely on what you are telling them. It shows that you understand that the business owner does not intrinsically trust what you are saying (why would they?) and that you have backup from a credible source to confirm the information given. When I write emails to customers, I always link to the FeeFighters blog and encourage them to explore the information there (thus positioning the blog as a point of reference) and will usually attach our “How to Be a Credit Card Processing Ninja” ebook. I do this because I know the business owner probably has a ton of questions, and I’m alsoquite honestly proud of our materials and want them to serve their purpose.

6) Restore their Feeling of Power

Going back to the idea of the business owner feeling vulnerable because they were tricked, the underlying problem for this is the feeling of a loss of power. On FeeFighters, we give users absolutely all the information they need to make the right decision for their business. Our goal is to be completely transparent. In my interactions with customers I do this by making recommendations while emphasizing that they are the ultimate decision maker. For example, I will say “When selecting a processor, usually you can feel good selecting the lowest cost provider on FeeFighters (since we are extremely selective in only letting transparent providers on the marketplace). However, it’s your call. If you feel comfortable going with a different provider, that would be fine. If you’d like to send me any contracts you’ve received elsewhere, I’d be happy to compare them to what’s on FeeFighters and give you objective feedback.”

7) Make it Part of the Culture

Everyone on the FeeFighters team talks to both users and customers and follows the framework outlined above. When we talk to each other about users’ experiences, we are clear on what kind of service we expect to deliver. It’s a distinct part of our culture and an integral part of our value proposition.

One last thing I will add is to be idealistic and follow the Golden Rule. I put myself in the users’ shoes and only feel content when all of their questions are answered, even if it means more work for me. When I pick up the phone to talk to a FeeFighters user, I think about all the times I call customer service somewhere and the kind of treatment I’d like to receive.

As we’ve all learned from classic case studies like Zappos, excellent customer service (or the lack thereof) can make or break a business. In the FeeFighters world, we live and breathe providing the best service to our users and therefore differentiate ourselves from others in the industry.

Image thanks to Simon Chirgwin, http://www.flickr.com/photos/41614842@N00/2183104477/