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It’s OK Not to Know

August 20, 2012 By Chase Clemons Leave a Comment

question-key

From Flickr artist Oberazzi

But it’s not okay not to find an answer. 

It never ceases to amaze me at how people will try to answer questions even though they don’t know their product.  I was on a call with my Internet company and the support rep didn’t have answers to about half my questions.  His training evidently didn’t include some of the things I was looking for help with.

That would’ve been fine if he promised to get some answers.  Instead, at the end of a line of questions answered with “I don’t know”, he asks if there’s anything else he could help with.  Dumbfounded, I paused and asked, “Are you going to find out some answers to these questions?”.

Never leave your customer in this situation.  It’s okay to not know everything.  When that happens, just let them know you don’t have the answers yet.  Then politely put them on hold while you get some answers.  If it’s the middle of the night and no one else is around, let them know you’ll call them back as soon as you have an answer.

As a customer, I’m fine with a support rep not knowing something.  It’s the lack of effort to find out that’s the real crime.

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