No customer wants to hear a lame excuse about why you can’t solve a problem for them…would you?

As a business owner or as the manager of a sales team, you have come across several situations when it becomes really difficult to meet the expectations of the customers.

In this article, I share the top excuses that your customers don’t want to hear, why, and how you can take control and change the conversation so that you provide an excellent customer service experience.

For instance, suppliers fail to deliver the products that have been ordered on time. It may be because the workers did not report on time or may have left the job in between. Other times, there’s a surge in demand and the onslaught of work proves too difficult for the existing workforce. There are many possible reasons, but the impact on customer satisfaction is undeniable.

While such situations aren’t always in your control, you must take ownership of the problem, even if it’s not directly your fault. It might be your employee’s fault, but those workers were hired and trained by you so the onus lies on you. Besides, these problems and excuses will not bode well with your customers with whom you need to build a relationship of confidence and trust. 

So before you start making excuses, let me tell you now the different excuses customers have already heard—and don’t want to hear again.

Your Customers are Tired of Hearing these Lame Excuses

“I don’t know…”

Customers don’t want to listen to this excuse unless you follow up saying that you will be happy to help them find out the answer. Finding out things, and explaining them to customers is part of customer service, right? This is basic. 

“Management doesn’t allow…” or “It’s not in our policy to…”

Yes, customers know that a business has limitations regarding what it can allow or not. But if you can’t do something for them, it’s better to just come out and say it. Then apologize. Don’t hide behind a policy. Think of this as an exercise in improving your customer service and business communication skills. 

If there’s something you can do, however, do it. 

“Who were you talking to last time?”

What is it to them who they talked to? Do you really expect customers to remember the name of the person they dealt with? No, because they’re too busy worrying about the problem they came to you to solve!

It’s the duty of the company to go through its records to see the last communication. 

“If you look at the fine print…”

Really, fine print? Who reads that? Yes, it’s probably the customer’s fault for not reading it. But guess what, it’s a mark of poor customer service on your part for not explaining it to them!

“Bob was supposed to do this…”

Don’t play the blame game with your customers. It reflects badly on your organization’s teamwork. Whether Bob did it or not, whatever happened, really, remember that your customer isn’t interested in the inside story. They just want their problems solved.

It’s human to make mistakes, and your customers know that screw ups are inevitable no matter how good your employee’s business communication skills are. Drop the excuses and get things done instead. It’s better for everyone.