Has Good Customer Service Disappeared?

When did it become the norm to replace receptionists with crazy robotic menu options?
Have we lost the ability in the 21st Century to provide exceptional customer service?
Has technology created barriers & the excuse to ghost?
Have we all become so consumed by life we’ve lost the courtesy of email & phone etiquette?
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Phone calls
It’s frustrating is it not, you need to speak to a human, but to get there you need to spend 10 minutes going round & around robotic menu options to which 90% of the time… 1 are not options that answer your question & 2 the robotic voice does not understand a word you are saying. Then you spend another 20 minutes on hold to find out you’re through to the wrong department!

What happened to the days of dialling a number, speaking to a receptionist & going straight through to a department or the person you need. Simples. Clearly, from a business operations point of view this is regarded as a time consuming resource and afterall time = money! However companies going back to a more traditional ‘receptionist’ style call answering service will reap the benefits of enhanced customer experience & therefore retention – with customers wanting to come back again and again!

While some automated menu systems are required & do work, most of us would much rather speak to a human being rather thank then a ‘push button’ system that only serves to increase our blood pressure even more than the initial reason for our call!
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Emails
We have all done it, deleted emails, forgotten to reply, forgotten to put the out of office on! But what are the consequences… are potential clients getting bored of waiting for an answer & going elsewhere to your competitors? I’m sure sure we’ve all been guilty of this one in the past…

GDPR has now improved email filtering and we all seem to be seeing less spam emails as a result however why is it you are asked to send an email after an initial phone call to which you action & then never receive a response. You chase a few days later yet again no response – you then call to be told the person is not available or is out of the office on annual leave. It amazes me that emails have become the easiest way for companies & the staff to ghost. To me no response = the company does not care, is not interested, does not want to do business & the door is closed. How can we recommend or rate these organisations as great when the communication is just so poor?
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Our advice is to always look to give the customer an expectation on when an answer is likely to happen – send a holding email. How many people jump on the phones or email again due to a lack of response or just simply go elsewhere. Better communication with your clients ensures a much better efficiency with clarity all round, saving everyone valuable time and fingers crossed giving you a 5* rating in the process.

Face to Face Meeting / Events
Another frustration I have known from fellow colleagues & like-minded businesses is people booking on to events / meetings then not showing up with no notification of cancellation or intended absence!

Why confirm then become a no show – are we really that busy with life & consumed with scrolling through social media we have forgotten the fundamentals of decent common courtesy. Even if it’s a quick phone call or message, it doesn’t matter the channel, FB, Messenger, Twitter, What’s App, let us all have the decency to communicate and make everyone’s life that little bit easier & better. How many business hours a day are wasted by failed appointments, it’s not just the appointment but the preparation in the lead up to the meeting/event.
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Our ‘Top 10 Tips’ to providing Exceptional Customer Service
1. Always respond – It’s the 21st Century with many channels to communicate through – No Excuses. Saying No or Not Interested is better than saying nothing at all!

2. Give an expectation of time to resolve the issue / deal with the enquiry, with a holding courtesy call or email if necessary.

3. Go the extra mile or ten – really show the customer you care – its ok to do the minimal however learn to shine against your competition by going above & beyond.

4. Employ a receptionist if possible to give that caring human factor.

5. Learn to Listen & Empathise.

6. Put the customer shoes on – The customer is always right, even when they are not!

7. Make time to provide tip top service – if your workload constrains this – talk to your boss to find ways of improving.

8. Be honest & human – if you have made a mistake, admit it then explain you have then found a workaround to the problem or are working to resolve asap. Everyone dislikes being fobbed off & lied too. Honesty really is the best policy!

9. Always smile & be upbeat with positive vibes – this really comes across on phone calls.

10. Body language tells a million stories – ensure yours is telling the right one.

Let us all work together on the above points to communicate better with each other across the business network creating a 21st Century ‘New Standard’ of Customer Service.

Oregen Training have over 25 years of experience providing effective onsite Microsoft training courses and IT training solutions to businesses across Kent, London and the South East.

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