Some Thoughts On Customer Service | Free - Business in Australia ...

It should be easy to give customers what they want: great products and good service. It sounds like such a straightforward thing, but making customers happy has certainly become a murky concept throughout the years. Some companies do their best to deliver what the customers want, but come up short some of the time. Other companies focus instead on making a sale and boosting their profits rather than listening to what the customer is asking for specifically. As a result, they end up not making a sale at all and succeed in annoying the customer, perhaps even driving him or her away.

Charlene, a dental assistant, took a close look at her mobile phone bills. She has been with the company for a long time and didn?t question that amount she was paying, but financial constraints pushed her to check where she can make some cuts. She found that she had actually been paying too much for the services and is subscribed to a plan with features that she doesn?t really use. So she decided to call the company to ask for options that will fit her needs better and which will also allow her to shave a fair amount off her bill. Instead of giving her what she wanted, the customer service representative chose this opportunity to upsell, suggesting a plan that will make her pay $120 a month, compared to the $80 a month she was already paying. ?What?s $120 a month, anyway?? the representative asked. Annoyed, Charlene chose to discontinue her account, not wanting to stay with a company that doesn?t value what she was saying.

There are also customer service professionals who don?t act completely professional at times. Ellen, a marketing strategist, was having trouble with her Internet service, and called her provider?s hotline for help. Her connection problems have been going on for more than a week, and she was explaining to the person on the other line the steps she had already taken and what the issues were. She was annoyed to hear the other person giggling while talking to her. To Ellen, it seemed patently unprofessional, as if her complaint wasn?t being taken seriously. Even if the giggle might have had nothing to do with her call, it still wasn?t a sound anyone would like to hear when seeking assistance.

Such incidents may seem small and petty, but for the customer who is having trouble with the services being provided by a company, these can make or break how they see that company and have an impact on their decision about whether they should retain the service or look elsewhere. Customer service professionals have to keep in mind that every single customer is important, even if they are working for a big company with millions of customers.

Managers have a role to play in ensuring consistently good service and in reminding their team that they should prioritize having the proper attitude and concern for their customers? needs. Customer service professionals, however, must listen to what the customers want, and they also shouldn?t need constant reminding about their tasks and responsibilities.

A good business should have a planned strategy for all situations. Do you have a reactive strategy for dealing with disasters, or does your strategy focus on preventing and avoiding those disasters in the first place?

Source: http://www.businesslistingnow.com/blog/some-thoughts-on-customer-service/

frank lucas lego man lego man cheryl hines john lackey john lackey ed lee