Customer services
Complicated matters needs special handling in the ever more complex world in which we live today. Sometimes it’s not the hardest of tasks that needs solving, but the most simplest. I feel that the approach of making a bigger issue of a thing is a modern day problem.
Many issues are not that complicated that they can’t be solved or can’t be overviewed in order to make a solution that proves viable. One of those things are customer services of, so called, A-list companies. Many companies feel that a customer service is a burden to the economics involved. Maybe it is, but it is also a really good way to find out what the customer thinks and feels about the company.
What better way is their to get customer feedback, if not via a customer service ? Most of you might agree with me when i say that in some cases it’s the only way to get feedback. Why ? Well, here is a thought. Would you be calling to a companies switchboard and try to get in touch with a middle management executive in order to express your opinions about their billing, operations or even your subscription to their services ?
I do not think that a middle management executive would be willing to take time out to listen to a customer who feels the urge to express himself, for that he needs a customer service that can handle the complaint and maybe, maybe even solve the customers problems or issues.
Many companies see their customer service like a thorn in their operations, a organisation that demands a lot from the company and doesn’t take no for a answer, a organisation that is need out of a social responsibility perspective, not out of the companies willingness to provide simple solutions. This is something that is really good, because a customer service shouldn’t be a lame, simple solution, non-cooperative organisation at any company. A customer service should be, sort of, in your face, at least within the company.
In Sweden we have a lot of companies that believe that customer services are just for show and doesn’t really perform a higher function. Some customer services are so bad that i do not even know if one can call then customer services at all. Because they are not interested in helping you or getting to the bottom of a issue that you might have with the company. They are only performing a function of listening to problems without really correcting them. This adds to confusion and eventually also a bad reputation amongst the companies customers and eventually their customers will leave.
On the other side of the spectrum you have the really good customer services with highly skilled employees that are trained to take care of you as a customer or even prospective customer. Some of these customer services have regular educational exercisers to improve their skills, regardless of previous work experience etc. etc. What would a customer service be with out the human capital that has been trained, educated and formed within the company ? Most likely it would be something like a switchboard of operators that ain’t interested in listening or solving problems, just interested in putting your phone call or email request to someone else that might be able to give you an answer or, in worst case, not.
Besides being a direct link into the boardroom of these companies you also have a doorway into the company to collect and analyse data, to help the company improve on it’s customer relations as well as marketing new products. Sadly this is not the case at a lot of companies, because they do not view the customer as a valuable asset, but as a way of making money and only money.
Companies that have the non-analytic approach to customer services and what it can bring in goodwill and promotion for the company are sadly too many to mention. I’m not going to mention those customer services that are good either, that is for you to find out and also experience.
I just hope that your experience is educational and fun, not miserable and annoying. Just remember that their are still companies out there that is only in it for the money !
Tags: Customer services, Stupid Things
This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 8th, 2007 at 10:20 pm and is filed under Stupid Things. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
