The Best and Worst of Customer Service

Bad customer service inevitably leads to reputation damage

Treating your customers poorly isn’t something that can be swept under the rug anymore. Besides being called out on review sites, in blogs, and across social media, you’ll also wind up on lists creating by organizations like 24/7 Wall Street, which uses survey data to assemble what they call the “Customer Service Hall of Shame”.

Here are their top five most shameful orgs when it comes to treating customers right:

1. Comcast
2. DirecTV
3. Bank of America
4. Dish Network
5. AT&T

Of course, the opposite is true of those who strive to meet and exceed expectations on a daily basis. Gaining positive reputation and goodwill through word of mouth on the street, online reviews, and landing on 24/7 Wall Street’s “Customer Service Hall of Fame” list among outstanding peers including…

1. Amazon
2. Chik-fil-A
3. Apple
4. Marriott
5. Kroger

We’ve shared stats on the adverse impact of negative customer experiences, but all too often these types of stats are read and immediately forgotten. If you’d like to keep your name off of the naughty list you need to make talking to your customers, working closely with your staff, and staying flexible when it comes to finding ways to keep people happy without harming yourself in the process an integral part of your day-to-day operations.