TRUE – Customer Service?
What is the absolute test of a truly customer focussed business?
It’s when things go ‘wrong’ and, for whatever the reason, as buyers, we don’t get what we expect and we feel let down. That’s when we experience what customer service really means…
On a daily basis, we come across three types of businesses which claim that customer service is paramount.
The “OSTRICH” business
You know these businesses – head in the sand. They don’t even want to know that you are dissatisfied. In fact, you are made to feel insignificant and worthless, and that you are being disruptive and difficult for feeling you haven’t received good service.
In practice, their philosophy seems to be: “Don’t you know how lucky YOU are dealing with US????”
The “TEFLON®” business
Nothing sticks to these people. It’s always someone else’s fault and they can’t do anything about changing the situation. Quite often this is a thinly disguised tactic to get rid of you and not bother to investigate any shortcomings. Habitually, their complaints process is designed to protect them rather than to identify deficiencies and shortcomings in their delivery systems and people. Everything is done for them, not for the customer.
The “SERVICE” business
These businesses always deliver. And even on the rare occasions when delivery falls below your expectations, they freely apologise, and then actively engage you in the process of diagnosing where it went wrong, so they can improve their processes and systems. They simply will not accept ‘sub standard’ service delivery, and they will always do something about it.
So, what can we do when we come across “Ostriches” and “Teflons®”? Firstly complain and complain again until you are satisfied. Keep complaining. Don’t accept being ‘fobbed off’. As a nation, we actively promote shoddy service by accepting it. Don’t. We can change it when we won’t accept it.
And then vote with your feet. If you are not convinced that they have changed, take your business elsewhere. Between us, as buyers, we can take millions of pounds of business away from companies every single day. Let’s do it! Let’s take it to businesses which employ people who want to deal with customers like us and who know how to treat us.
What makes me laugh is those businesses that have let you down will spend millions of pounds in advertising trying to get you back! All they had to do was get their staff to want to help when we bought and later when we first complained! How much would that have cost?
And then, most importantly, tell you family and friends, neighbours and colleagues about your experiences. It’s much more compelling when we listen to the experiences of people close to us, rather than receiving mail shots, television adverts and those unwanted inserts in magazines!
It is so much better learning from each other and saving ourselves the hassle of having to deal with businesses which deliver bad service.
