Stop Bad Customer Service - Computer Says No!
Wednesday, August 31, 2011 at 2:25PM 
As companies of all sizes claim to be putting the customer first, why is it we have so few delighted customer satisfaction experiences in any given day? Did you feel warm and cuddly the last time you rang your lawyer/accountant and got the gatekeeper or feel particularly valued or appreciated the last time you queued up for ages at your bank? No....I didn't think so.
In larger businesses this can often be blamed on head count reduction where the obsession for cutting costs far outweighs the need to provide quality customer service.
Many senior figures would do well to remember that business is essentially all about relationships and human interaction and not everybody wants to deal exclusively with a machine for all their transactions or have to deal with the frustration of a foreign call centre. So....where do we start.
Firstly, it is my belief that many firms, particularly those in the service sector, do not know what good service looks like because they have never taken the time out to ask their clients what this might represent. As a result, it becomes difficult to deliver it to clients. When is the last time you asked your top customers what they like most and want more of and like least and want less of?
Few include customer service as part of the interviewing process, induction programme or ongoing training regime. This is a mystery to me as it is relatively inexpensive to teach staff what is expected of them in any given situation and to then reward them for good performance which helps the overall motivation of the team.
If you currently do not undertake a client satisfaction survey, can I suggest you make it an absolute priority to do so. This can form an integral part of your marketing process to attract new clients, as specific percentages and quotes from clients who say you provide five star service when it comes to turnaround times, transparency of billing, quality of work, value for money etc is very powerful in the eyes of prospects. When someone fills in good scores it is also the perfect time to ask for referrals and testimonials, also hugely powerful in the quest for new revenue streams and the cheapest way to gain new work.
Beware of the silent customer. It does not mean they are satisfied just because they haven't complained. Put yourself through a client experience at your company. How long does it take to get through on the phone, be greeted by a smiling face at reception or find what your looking for on your website?
The larger the company the worse the service ethic appears to be with banking and utilities being particularly culpable. This is where you are most likely to hear the classic 'That goes against our company policy' or be told that your call IS important to them as you wait for twenty minutes for someone to answer. If it is that important, they should have employed someone to answer it. Service faux pas at their best!
Going forward into an uncertain economic period, it is those businesses that do not pay lip service but can actually deliver on customer service combined with staff who can sell who will win long term mutually beneficial relationships. What is your service culture like? Score out of 10?
Reader Comments (1)
Hi Alistair
Following your advice we have just finished a two month customer survey where 100% of our clients stated that the therapist understood their requirements, 100% said that based on their experience they would return to Vogue Beauty and 100% felt that the range of treatments were good or excellent. We also received some great comments which we will be using in all our marketing communications and is already on our website.
Thanks for the pointers -it was a very worthwhile exercise as we not only learned what areas we can improve on but the overall positivity of the results has done wonders for morale and has encouraged even better customer service.