Today I’m going to be talking about when customer service crosses over into PR. It’s been on my mind a lot recently, mainly because I seem to have come across a lot of bad customer service and just downright bad manners that reflect back on not only the person in question, but also the company they represent.

It’s something that, now I work with a team, I’ve had to think quite carefully about and have come to the conclusion that without this in place your PR is going to be a waste of time.

Let’s talk about one instance a few weeks ago. I was working with one particular client who obviously used a call answering service. The problem was that he was never around to receive any calls and the call answering service wouldn’t tell me this, but instead kept me hanging on the line until I finally gave up – and on three occasions. Not even a "I can’t reach him at the moment, do you want to leave a message?" which should have at least left me feeling I’d achieved something. Needless to say if I had been a journalist calling I would have moved straight onto the next person on my list.

And then I have the beauty clinic story that always amuses my friends – having recently moved to the area I’m of course trying out all the local beauty clinics to see who does the best aromatherapy massages, waxing etc – as you do. I’d worked my way through the list and been pleasantly surprised with most of them but I’d left the best until last – the most expensive, the (from the outside) most glamorous one that you had to beg to get an appointment with.
Hmm, where on earth should start?

My first point of call was the toilet that smelt of dead mouse! My facial was conducted to the sound of someone arguing on the phone in the office for the first ten minutes and then, just as I had breathed a sigh of relief and started to relax I realised that the beautician hovering above my face was chewing gum – over and over and over again. Okay, call me picky but I really didn’t feel like spending that amount of money to have someone chew within a couple of inches (it’s my equivalent of nails on a blackboard) and plucked up the courage to ask her to stop (hated doing it though). And yes she did stop chewing but still hovered there with the gum in her mouth. I could almost feel the tension as she forced herself to keep her gums stationery.

Oh dear, I do feel like I’m complaining a bit this week but the point is that I’ll never go back there and although you haven’t got a clue where I’m talking about, I have told my local friends who are more than likely to remember that next time they book something up. And even if the salon got a great and glowing write up in the local newspaper, I’d still remember cow girl and her peppermint cud. So, just remember if you haven't got the right customer service and staff attitudes in place then PR is more likely to focus bad attention on you than good.

Very Best Wishes,
Paula Gardner
http://www.doyourownpr.com/ and http://www.divinepublicity.com
Paula Gardner is a PR and media coach and the author of Get Noticed: How to Boost Your Small Business Profile in 30 days.For a free weekly newsletter on how to attract new customers and clients and raise your professional credibility and visibility visit:http://www.doyourownpr.com/subscribe.asp