What Happened to Customer Service?

Thu, 16 Jul 2009 01:14:00 GMT

We all know that life is kind of weird right now. Some of us are trying to keep our job, some are seeking employment, and maybe there are even a few who are sitting on a park bench just looking up at the sky. Big businesses are hiring marketing professionals, accountants, and other myriads of specialists who can figure out why sales are not coming back up, and neither are the customers. As business after business look at their competitors, both locally and abroad, they all are wondering who will figure the mystery out first. I can even imagine some super computers in a lab spinning away with computations of Pi and other scientific calculations that maybe only 1% of 1% of the entire population could even understand. And waiting eagerly are the specialists ready to divulge the elusive secret of why sales are still down.
Like Forest Gump, I am not very smart, but some things are naturally obvious. Probably the most prominent thing I can think of is customer service. After talking with people over the past couple of months, most people felt that customer service has declined with the economy. Many also seemed to think that those who are still able to spend more money, receive better customer service. When I say that, I am not referring to a more prestige establishment, or a yacht club, or members club. I am referring more to the difference between spending $100 to $1000. Better yet, let’s be more realistic and compare the difference between $10 and $100. A good example could be better explained buy asking you a question. If you have ever shopped at a electronics store for a cd or movie, do remember if a service rep came and asked if you needed anything? Keeping that thought, say you were at the same store and shopping for a monitor or LCD TV. Did anyone ask you if you needed anything then? Does more money equate to better service, and if so, why? Greg’s Rule #1 says, the value of 10 customers spending $10 is equal to 1 spending $100.

When things around the house break, or need repaired, I like to go to the do-it-yourself mega stores. I can remember when a few of these stores first opened. One could go into any section of the store looking for a do-hickey, a watch-u-ma-callit, or “one of these”, and there would almost be an employee who could help you. Lately, if you go into some of these stores, you may or may not find someone who can help. But, I bet you will find an employee more than eager to get you to sign up for a store credit card. Ironically, most of these employees willing to help you get farther in debt are usually standing by the light bulb section. The irony is, their light bulb is not on. Why not assist the customers first, wow them with your wealth of knowledge and expertise, and offer them a shopping cart.Then when they are ready to check out, set up a place where you can offer them store credit? Greg’s Rule #2 says customer service first and credit offers last.
I don’t judge people by what title they hold, car they drive, or profession of work they are in. They way I see things, is that we all play an important role to somebody, and that in itself is equal amongst us. I treat a restaurant drive thru employee with the same respect I do a doctor, or policeman, or sanitation worker. Everyone has a job to do, and when you think about it, we can’t do everything by ourselves. I also look to expect good customer service from people I encounter. We all have bad days, and we all encounter difficulties in our lives. But, if I frequent a business on a regular basis and happen to get helped by the same employee, I still look for good customer service each time. If someone is visibly having a bad day, give them a mulligan, and try and sympathize. But, if your customer experience is poor every time, let someone know. The tendency for people to never go back to a store or business because of bad customer service, is probably the number reason they never intend to return. How many times have you told yourself that you would never buy from a particular store again? Greg’s Rule #3 says that businesses that build on continued customer service usually have the most repeat business and continued growth.

I would like to stop here and revisit the subject of customer service at a later date. In the mean time, I would also like to encourage you to post any comments you have, and ask yourself if you and your employer emphasize good customer service. The fact that many parts of our country and the world are in an economic slump, is no excuse to care less about helping our patrons.

Consider This!

What Happened to Customer Service?