After several years of avoiding my phone bill - what you don't know can't hurt you (right!) - I was forced to take a look following a barrage of marketing material from Vonage. What I found was not only a revelation but a complete shock. I won't bore you with the detail, suffice to say I was paying for services and features that I had not used since Lincoln stopped shaving.
Who Cares? You right, it's not important other than to illustrate an few interesting points.
1. There's often a disconnect between customer service call center reps and the company they represent. On concluding my call the rep asked "How would you rate my service today?. Now that's a loaded question. The assumption being that good service on the part of the customer service rep equals good service from the phone company - WRONG!!!
2. Good service should be proactive. Good service from the phone company would include an occasional courtesy call advising me that I am paying for features and service that "our records show you have not used in quite some time" - and "Would you like me to cancel that option sir?"
3. Follow-up. After my call I had the mental image of the ubiquitous service rep tearing the note sheet off the pad, scrunching the sheet two-handed into a neat ball and Michael Jordan-ing it into the trash. Of course I'll never know. Unless I received a follow-up confirmation in the mail - thanking me for the opportunity to be of service.
I would offer that a simple form placed under a "feed-back" button could be the most valuable on-line service tool a small business could have - try it!
Steve Earle is Creative Guy at E2Mktg, call him on 954.806.2188 and get started with a Fast-Track Digital Video for your company today.
Most companies confuse employee service levels with the company policy satisfaction levels - two entirely different things. One is therefore faced with the choice of "shooting the messenger" and punishing the service staff for their company policy, or not giving the feedback to the company that you're unhappy.
ReplyDeleteHow to get around this dichotomy is the question – similar to one faced by restaurants, for example when the wait-staff are good and attentive but the food itself is mediocre.
Companies need to separate the two issues. By all means, ensure your staff are giving great service, but equally ensure the feedback loop is there to check your own policies and procedures...
In my experience, developing a good relationship (however brief) with the service staff can pay off - I've had additional discounts, coupons, rebates and refunds that I'm sure would not have been forthcoming had I adopted a more aggressive stance.
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