Responding to advertising and some word of mouth, I installed FiOS in our new home, foregoing Comcast after many years. The installation consists of a complex DVR/set top box, three simple set top boxes, Internet service, email service, and telephone. While all started off auspiciously, the experience turned into an ordeal. Yet throughout the period of 19 days of attempts to get everything functioning correctly, I was impressed with the courtesy and friendliness of Verizon’s telephone customer service people during the eight times I called them about problems.
But you know what? Most times they did not solve the problem on my first call, and this left me frustrated and feeling helpless. And I never talked with the same person twice! Before I could talk to a human, a female voice response system tried to help me. When I cooperated with her, she failed to help, and then prevented me from getting to tech support. On three occasions I was forced to hang up, redial, and carefully bypass her well meaning efforts to help.
Is that the way customer service should be? No! Customer Service is more than maintaining a sympathetic ear on the telephone. It’s more than promising that the job will be done in 24 hours and then not following through.
Customer Service means real service with real results. So how’s your CS working in your business? Does it make people feel glad they called, or does it leave them frustrated and angry?
You probably have CS as a collateral duty of someone (or everyone) in your company. But have you set guidelines for employees who handle customer service contacts? Most of us don’t bother to do that. If you are not paying attention to your customer service you may be creating an unflattering image of your company in customers who will then pass that along to others. This can cause you to lose business.
In my business we had several customer service ground rules that seemed to work pretty well. First was “Answer the phone in three rings or less.” People calling a business where the phone rings 5 or 6 times and then finally is answered can easily get the impression that the business is tiny, perhaps a one man show. Not good, especially if it is not true!
The second customer service ground rule was: “Answer with the company name, your first name, and ask how you can help the caller.” To its credit, Verizon CS people always state their name. But in my experience that does not happen as often with smaller businesses. How do you feel when you call a business and the person answers without stating his or her name? I don’t like the impression that leaves. And I usually then state my name and ask the name of the other person.
The third ground rule we had was: “When you answer the phone and it is a customer service matter, you own the problem until it’s solved.” That does not mean the person answering the phone has to solve the problem; maybe it needs to be handled by someone else. But you remain responsible for following up on the matter and calling the customer back with the solution.
That is the major problem in dealing with a large customer service organization like Verizon. Problems are recorded in the online database and any CS representative can then view the problem when you call in another time. But that is frustrating for the customer because there always is a need for additional explanations before the CS on a subsequent call can really help you.
It does not need to be that way. USAA has been my insurance company for over 50 years. They have absolutely the best customer service I have ever experienced, and it is all the more special because the company is huge. Depending upon the circumstance, a claim for example, the customer is assigned a single contact and given that person’s extension. Yes, it may be necessary to leave a message if you call in and the contact person is busy, but it really improves overall efficiency of solving each problem along the way.
My efforts to conquer the multiple problems of installing the FiOS system has so far involved making seven different phone calls for the same or a newly discovered problem. Each call involved going through the front end of an automated system to finally get through to a person. Might it make sense for Verizon’s Customer Service computerized system to recognize that I am calling repeatedly and frequently within the span of several days, and assign me a personal contact to work through the problems? It sure makes sense to me.
So, how’s your customer service? Why not audit it once in a while? Perhaps someone can do some “test marketing” for you to check your CS out. Or maybe you should call five customers to ask them how they perceive your CS.
For first time callers to your company, the person answering the phone leaves the most lasting first impression. Make sure it is positive. For callers with a problem there are two goals: fix the problem promptly, and make sure the caller is happy. Verizon is very good at making me feel happy when I hang up; but their approach falls apart when the problem is not solved, or is solved only after repeated calls and many days pass. And that creates an unhappy customer.
How’s your customer service? Check it out, pump it up, and keep your customers. Peter Drucker wrote that the only function of a business is to get and keep customers. Top notch Customer Service is surely the key to making that happen.
