Service is at a premium these days – Have you tried ringing anyone lately? Chances are you’ll get a series of automated messages that run on and on; then told the queue is too long and you’ll need to ring back later; and finally, you’ll need to go online for assistance.
If you are lucky enough to speak to someone, there is a high chance that due to everyone working from home, you are not able to get the assistance you need at that time. This is utterly frustrating. Time is money and businesses need to respect the time that belongs to customers, or they’ll become ex-customers!
Don’t under-estimate the power of personal connection, relationships and how the concept of “preferred providers” works. It has never been easier to create a point of difference by having someone who is helpful and knowledgeable answering the phone!
Instead of funnelling dollars into advertising, businesses should move some of this budget across to increasing resources in the customer service area – having great people answering the phone, meeting and greeting customers, and following up on queries and complaints in a timely manner.
When a business delivers exceptional service, it overrides other factors such as price. People’s lives have become very busy, and this leads to being ‘time strapped’. There is an opinion that people who are time strapped are often less focussed on cost – instead they focus on service and solutions.
Of course, some businesses are right up there on the excellence ladder and WOW what a delight it is to do business with them. They:
•Answer the phone and return calls
•Look genuinely pleased to see their customers
•Retain their staff, building up a great knowledge base
•Promote a friendly and can-do culture within their team
•Provide clear timeframes for delivery of product or services
•Know what stock they have and happy to source other product on request
•Provide easy parking instead of using the carparks themselves!
•Ring and advise as soon as the order is ready for pickup
•Provide after sales service (including replacing faulty goods as appropriate)
If your staff are working from home, then seriously consider how they can remain connected with customers. Your interface needs to be seamless, and customers should be oblivious to where your staff are working. Too often I am hearing “sorry, they are working from home, and I can’t get hold of them” as an excuse for poor service. It is easy for businesses to fall into the trap of not only wasting customers’ valuable time but their own time by going round and round in circles and double handling problems.
What a great way to start the new year by having a renewed focus on customer service. For those businesses who are doing an exceptional job, I salute you!
