Recently, I discovered an article on CNN Travel by Christopher Elliot titled 'How to avoid a customer-service nightmare.' In this article, Mr. Elliot listed five tactics for customers to use when confronted with a negative customer situation. While I believe that a company's organization can be designed in a manner where articles like this are not necessary, Mr. Elliot's five tactics raise an interesting question about customer service itself. And one that I believe is worth discussing. So I am dedicating this article to Mr. Elliot's five tactics and the underlying tricks to making them work.

Tactic 1 - "Don't provoke an angry service employee."

I like to refer to this tactic as the 'don't feed the animals' tactic, or the 'customer service employees are animals' defense. While almost everyone has had a negative customer service experience at one time or another, it does not follow that every experience will be a bad one. Important to remember is that a disagreement does not have to become a confrontation. You do not have to ignore incorrect information or a bad attitude, or, as Mr. Elliot suggests, even agreeing with someone who is obviously wrong. But there are ways to continue a conversation without it getting out of control. Once engaged, the employee and the customer are two sides aiming for a goal. The trick is to find the right goal for everyone.

Tactic 2 - "Put yourself in their shoes."

On the surface, this seems like a fair idea. It seems like a fair idea to incorporate in general in most life situations. A little empathy goes a long way in human interactions. However, there is a MAJOR difference that should not be forgotten in customer service interactions. One party is paying for the service and the other party is being paid for the service. The dialogue does not have to be an even playing field. The trick is to make sure both parties are aware of this and their responsibilities therein.

Tactic 3- "Ignorance is bliss."

The thought behind this tactic is to ignore employees who are providing poor customer service. The difficulty here is that by doing so the customer may not receive the results they paid to receive. In the example Mr. Elliot provided, ignoring the rude flight attendant might have avoided the customer getting into a hassle, but it also resulted in her not receiving the beverage service to which she was entitled. The trick here is to be selective in what it is you wish to ignore.

Tactic 4 - "Try a smile."

In a perfect world everyone would be smiling and there would be no need for blogs about customer service. Insisting that a customer squelch their emotions when they are involved in a negative situation (which was not their intention when they paid for the product/service/etc.) might be a little too much to ask. However, courtesy is always a good option. The trick here is to express your displeasure in a useful, inside-voice, and manner.

Tactic 5 - "Document everything."

When, as a customer, nothing seems to work, it might be time to take it to the next level. What that level is and when is the right time to take it there is the question. If you are in a situation where there is an immediate need, politely asking for a supervisor or manager is probably the best course of action. Taking notes on the experience and sending a letter after the fact is good for further training of a company's employees, but it does not get the result you were originally expecting. The trick here is to make sure that you know of your options and exhaust them.

In Mr. Elliot's article, he asks what to do if the employee continues their inappropriate behavior. That is an excellent question (and as a customer service manager, a frightening one). As a customer, I would expect the answer to be find a different company on which to spend money. Some customers accept poor customer service as a cost of doing business. But it doesn't have to be that way, and for those companies who understand that, there are a wealth of customers waiting to find you.

So, how much is a customer responsible for customer service? The answer: quite a bit actually. The trick here is remembering that the customer's responsibility for customer service is actually being there. Without your customer, there is no customer service. They may not always be right, but they shouldn't have to do your customer service work for you.