I regret going on social media four months ago to commend a health management organisation (HMO) for its stellar customer service delivery. And all it took to change my mind was a discourteous email from a faceless employee.
Recently, my teenage daughter visited a hospital. My husband took her there, registered her, and ensured she received care. All went well, and she was given a prescription. Unfortunately, the medication was unavailable at the hospital, so they left.
Now, the HMO we use for our family, Z HMO, has a policy regarding the delivery of prescriptions, which we were familiar with. Therefore, after the hospital visit, I emailed the health insurance agency and politely requested that the medication be delivered to our home address. I attached the prescription note (which listed the doctor’s and hospital’s names and the medication’s dosage). We’d used the health insurance agency for over a year and had been impressed with its prompt service and professional communication.
However, what should have been a quick, professional email turned into an email trail that left me baffled at the tone of one customer service associate. I’d use that email as a mini case study in this article.
So, to all managers or human resources professionals responsible for training customer service employees: Below are two reasons they’re repelling your clients with their rude emails:
1) They lack emotional intelligence
The first line of the email from Precious, the customer service associate from Z HMO who responded to my email, was standard. But the request given was odd. I was told to list the diagnosis of my daughter — in an email.
My daughter is underage, and I was concerned about her medical details being shared with people I didn’t know. Moreover, I didn’t understand why I needed to provide information about a diagnosis that was made by a trained medical professional who had subsequently given a prescription. In my experience with Z HMO and others, they would contact hospitals to clarify diagnoses and the prescribed medications. So, I responded and stated my concern about sharing my daughter’s diagnosis, which was a sensitive matter. However, I provided information that would help Precious confirm details from the hospital.
I was hoping that Precious would understand my concern, or that the HMO would call me to discuss and advise when they’d deliver the medication.
But Precious’ response was swift and discourteous. (I received it within seven minutes of sending my email). Instead of addressing my concerns and displaying some emotional intelligence, the email tone was cold and dismissive, as can be seen below.
‘…Sensitive is not a diagnosis, and I cannot contact the doctor on your behalf.’
That comment stung.
The fact that the sender prefaced the rude remark with ‘Kindly revert with the diagnosis’ did little to reduce the friction. In fact, as a business writing trainer, I recognised the deception — using ‘please’ and ‘kindly’ to appear polite but remaining difficult or uncompromising.
Yet, I wanted the process to move forward because my daughter’s medication was at stake. I also instinctively knew that if I didn’t provide the information, Precious (already defensive) would do nothing.
Therefore, I refused to take the bait of losing my temper. I responded in a calm manner. Then, in my first line, I provided the diagnosis and referred to the hospital where it was given.
Nonetheless, I wasn’t going to ignore the unprofessional attitude, so at the end of the email, I called out the sender’s abrasive tone. I also stated that I intended to communicate my displeasure in the feedback form I would receive later.
The email back-and-forth with Precious revealed two critical points that customer service staff often overlook:
a) Customers can make or break the company’s reputation…or careers
The interaction with the customer service associate changed my perception of Z HMO as a professional, reliable health insurance agency.
Precious might have been an exception, but sometimes, all it takes is one negative experience or a frustrated review on social media (e.g., X) for an organisation to lose face. X (formerly Twitter), with its ‘cancel’ culture, is a platform where a spark of displeasure can quickly lead to a torrent of vitriol.
In a serious backlash, who will likely be punished for scathing customer service complaints that lead to reputational damage or a loss of goodwill with stakeholders?
Think about that for a minute.
b) Empathy is not a ‘soft’ attribute
Empathy is critical to building trust and securing loyal clients.
As the mother of the teenager whose prescription was considered, I might still have needed to provide the diagnosis to enable Z HMO to process the request and deliver the medication.
But Precious could have settled that issue quickly with even an iota of empathy. He/she could have called me to acknowledge my concern and explain why they required the sensitive information. A simple example could be:
‘I understand your concern. But please be assured that we will keep the information confidential. We only require it at the back end for x or y.’
As effective as emails are, that conversation should have been a brief telephone call.
The lack of empathy placed Precious in a poor light. If the case had been severe, the cold attitude would have led to a serious complaint being sent to Z HMO’s management.
It costs nothing to be a decent human being and show empathy for others.
2) They are proud and disingenuous
After my email to Precious stating that I intended to complain about the ‘unfortunate’ and ‘abrasive’ tone of the email, I expected to receive an apology that would show genuine regret.
But I received a non-apology (see below), which convinced me that the customer service associate was disingenuous. He/she seemed more interested in scoring points and less concerned about trying to regain trust. This stance was unwise, given the negative review I’d threatened to give.
‘I sincerely apologise for the tone you perceived.’
Sigh.
A simple ‘I apologise for my previous email’ would have been more appropriate.
Being passive-aggressive in emails doesn’t mend fences. I didn’t believe Precious was contrite or felt accountable for his/her tone. However, I knew it would be pointless to flog the issue.
So, I closed the matter. In response, I used ‘Noted’, before wrapping up — meaning that I acknowledged the non-apology, didn’t believe in it, but decided to move on, whilst still using polite, professional language.
Conclusion
If you’re a customer service professional, reflect on the mini case study of the discourteous employee, Precious from Z HMO, and note what not to do.
I’ve got to admit:
I briefly considered tendering a formal complaint to the leadership of that HMO after my last email with Precious, complete with screenshots of the email trail. But the effort didn’t seem worth my time.
Nevertheless, realise that aggrieved customers/clients might turn vindictive and not relent until they get you sacked or suspended.
So, take it from an award-winning communications trainer and professional who has been obsessed with effective communication for over two decades:
Your email tone can elevate your professionalism (and desirability) or stifle your career.
Always communicate with empathy. Then email with a cool head.
And saying ‘I’m sorry’ is a sign of strength, not weakness.
Over to you:
Do you need help boosting your speaking, interpersonal or business writing skills to influence people and get results?
Then, sign up here for my free quarterly newsletters and learn best practices. When you sign up, you’ll receive my evergreen resource on giving persuasive presentations. Ensure you download and refer to that document before any high-stakes presentation or speech.
———————————————————————–
N.B: First and last images are courtesy of Gerd Altmann Pixabay via Pixabay. Screenshots of email are courtesy of Lucille Ossai.