Customer Service

In our automated world, are we losing the person to person part of doing business that I call Customer Service? For a while, I thought that it was the fact that our young people are spending so much time not talking to people that was a part of the problem. I have started to notice that the bean counters are applying so much pressure to deal with a customer fast and efficient that time not satisfaction has become the focus. Staffs are cut to the bare minimum and how well they do is measured in not having pissed off customers, not happy customers.

The other day, I shopped in a HyVee store and asked a person where an item was located. That person insisted on taking me to the correct aisle and to where the product was located. All I really wanted was to know where it was not to be led on a safari looking for that item. On the other hand, I got what I wanted.

I think Customer Service is related to a comment about Leadership I once read. Leadership is getting the other person to do what you need them to do and having them think it was their idea. If a person thinks you are concerned about them, they will give you a good grade on Customer Service.

I worked as an instructor at a call center and there were many goofy things done to make customers happy. Instead of really fixing problems, they would give a customer a credit on the amount the person owed. Made for a good feeling one time but led to a frustration when the problem would re-appear time after time. The customers didn't want money, they wanted their small problem fixed. If GETCC they couldn't fix a small problem, were they doomed to appear unable to provide service in the long run. They were adding new customers and not insuring that the customer's problems were taken care of and that they paid their bill. I tried to get a step put in the system that caused the representative to look at the customer's bill and see if they were paying. A simple comment about the state of the payment would have made the system look legitimate and not phony.

Oh well, There are places I shop for lower prices and places I shop at for good service. I don't go to WalMart for excellent service, I go to Best Buy for a friendly young person that knows what the hell they are talking about.

OK, I'll go play fetch with the dog, at least he acts glad to see me.

MUD