The Value of a Friendly Staff - V 2.0

westernrvparkowner wrote:
Well over half of our customer issues concern policies. Why would I start out apologizing for the fact we require people to clean up after their pets or apologize that we charge a fee to cancel a reservation? Of course we apologize and attempt to make right any issue that is our fault. But I am not going to apologize for rules fees or charges that are clearly spelled out.

I agree with you in principle, but I have found that proper Customer Service still requires some sort of "apology" on your end. When a customer is complaining about some fee or policy that they should have been aware of, my phrase isn't "I'm sorry", it's "I'm sorry you feel that way", followed usually by a "however, the policy states..." A lot of folks just want the illusion of sympathy and understanding and they feel mollified.