Put the Customer Back Into Customer Service

The US has been in a “service economy” for several decades so with all that experience behind us, you would think we would be pretty good at service by now. But that is not what many people see and experience in their daily interactions and the question is, why? The answer leads us to a blinding glimpse of the obvious… that often times companies put their business needs in front of the customer need. This can mean short term profits (sometimes) and long term failure (usually).

Leaders and headline makers of today are focused on technology and the changing paradigms of customer interaction.

This is the reality despite many studies that support an economic model in which excellent customer service pays off.  According to sources cited by get feedback in November 2016, negative customer service experience is responsible for 67% of customer “churn” or disloyalty.  Further, they state that 85% of respondents would pay more for “better customer service” – up to 25% more – and that 95% will tell others when they don’t get good service. This is only one study- you can find dozens of others with similar findings.

Leaders and headline makers of today are focused on technology and the changing paradigms of customer interaction – driven by things like big data, digitized communications, and highly personalized message delivery systems.  But the “boring” stuff  like good old-fashioned  customer service and high quality human interaction is as important today as ever because rather than excel at it,  it is not a standard operating procedure and seemingly not of particular focus.

• Motor vehicle departments notoriously make you stand in long lines when you have to go in for something they require.  It’s been an issue since cars have been on the road and yet, the issue still persists.
• In home service providers want a four hour window for you to tether yourself to the couch while you wait for them. Just wondering aloud, have they ever shown up within the first three hours…. ever?
• When is the last time you had a doctor appointment and saw your physician within a few minutes of your scheduled time? (and by “a few” I don’t mean 56)

Nothing says ‘I am more important than you’ the anachronistic behavior of booking more than one appointment for each time slot available and running behind the schedule the entire day, every day.  With all the scheduling and communication capabilities we have at our finger tips and the known information pertaining to appointment times, one could argue that a mutually beneficial scheduling capability could be instituted that matches provider and user’s needs for quality and expediency.

As for the protocol of double booking, let’s check in with the airlines on how well that serves them once they reach over capacity (again).  More to the point, just who is being served by the practice: the airline or the customer?   United Airlines experienced the most visible and brutal form of what can go wrong when there are more people than seats, but they are not alone.

Respect for your paying customer, common courtesy,  a pleasant demeanor… these are all fundamental attributes of a positive customer interaction.

How many times and have you called a customer service line and been forced into prompts and decision trees after wading through a multitude of options at each stop along the way only to sit on hold?  This does not tell your customers how much you value them – despite the sterile recorded message they hear while they wait – as much as it says “we are trying to save money with less people and we would rather take more of your time than ours.”

Respect for your paying customer, common courtesy,  a pleasant demeanor, informed and trained personnel, consistent delivery, good listening and understanding…these are all fundamental attributes of a positive customer interaction and the key to stronger relationships between you and the people that that pay you.  And it’s not more complicated than understanding one very basic, but often ignored, precept:

Put the customer first in all you do

Sorry if you have heard that one before but stop and think about almost any provider/customer interaction you have had recently: are they truly excellent and focused on your needs and your busy schedule?  Do you feel like your relationship is truly important to them?

If yes, hit one.  If no, hit two.  If you are exacerbated with the state of customer service today hang up and spend your time and money elsewhere.

Photo by Fezbot2000 on Unsplash