Good customer service practices are essential to any Notary business. When helping customers, you should always avoid unprofessional or illegal behavior. Take our quiz to see if you choose the best customer service approach for each of the following challenges.
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ANSWERS:
1. You’re a Notary Signing Agent and you’ve had a tough morning. The lender was late sending you the loan package and gave you the wrong address to meet the borrower. When you arrive, the signer asks, “Hey, are you OK? You look upset.” Should you tell them why you’re frustrated?
A. Yes, because the lender was to blame and the borrower should be made aware of this.
B. No, because it’s not appropriate to criticize a lender or vent about your work issues to a signer during an appointment.
ANSWER: B. Complaining about personal or work issues or venting your frustrations to a signer can leave a negative impression. It’s understandable to get stressed or frustrated about work difficulties, but the signer is not in a position to remedy the situation. So leave your frustrations outside, stay professional, and conduct the notarization with poise.
2/ You’re on your way to a mobile Notary appointment. Suddenly you hear a loud “bang!” and realize you’ve got a flat tire. It’s going to take time to change the tire or call a service truck. What should you do in the meantime?
A. Call the signer immediately to let them know about the delay and give them the option to reschedule.
B. Wait until after you have the tire fixed to contact the signer, so you can provide them with a clearer idea of how long you’ll be delayed.
ANSWER: A. If you need to reschedule a notarization appointment, always contact the signer as soon as possible to let them know why you’re late, and give them the option of rescheduling if needed. Signers may have work or family obligations that limit their time to complete a notarization, and if you don’t let them know right away that there will be delay, you may cause additional schedule conflicts for them.
If you’re a Notary Signing Agent and need to reschedule a loan signing appointment, also make sure to contact the contracting company immediately as well. Loan documents are time-sensitive, and the lender and title company need to be informed.
3. You’re meeting a customer to notarize his signature on a document. When he arrives and shows you the document, you see a large number of blank spaces. “I’m sorry,” he says, “I wasn’t sure how to fill this out. Can you tell me what goes in these sections? Once I fill it out, we can finish the notarization.” What should you do?
A. Tell him Notaries aren’t allowed to give advice on how to fill out a document.
B. Help answer his questions, but only if you are familiar with the document.
ANSWER: A. Notaries are not allowed to give unauthorized advice regarding a signer’s document — and this includes providing advice how to fill out the document. Doing so may constitute the unauthorized practice of law, and you could potentially be held liable for any problems or losses if a mistake is made filling out the document.
The correct course is to explain to the customer you can’t advise him how to complete his document, and that he will need to contact the agency that issued the document or a qualified attorney to request instructions.
4/ You’ve just finished a notarization for a friend on short notice. “Thank you so much!” says the friend. After she pays you, she pulls out a $20 bill. “I know I paid you already, but you deserve extra for your efforts.” What should you do?
A. Accept the tip. If a signer appreciates your work, you deserve it.
B. Refuse the tip. Accepting may be against your state’s Notary fee rules, and it could potentially affect your impartiality.
ANSWER: B. State Notary laws usually don’t address tips and gratuities. However, some states limit how much you may be paid for a notarization. Accepting a tip beyond that maximum could violate state law and get you in trouble. Even if your state doesn’t set a fee limit, accepting a tip could be used to put pressure on you to ignore or skip proper Notary procedures in the future. The best ethical choice would be to decline any additional money apart from your agreed-upon fee.
David Thun is the Editorial Manager at the National Notary Association.