You can fix stupid!
For all the bad customer service that we see, feel (and sometimes even deliver), there are companies that consistently delight their customers. Do you also wonder, ‘if they can do it, why do we struggle to achieve that level of service? Why is it so hard to duplicate a successful customer service model?’
One of our clients continues to achieve extremely high net promoter scores as they consistently deliver positive customer experiences. We internally refer to them as our ‘golden child’ because they’ve figured out how to be a great service company and live the strategy every day. We identify changes needed for all of our clients but too often our suggestions are met with downright laziness. The analysis are clear, no one disputes the results, but nothing (or not enough) changes. Clients with customer-define service problems know what the issues are, but aren’t willing to invest the time and money into the re-training and re-processing. You have seen or felt the downward spiral – the process causes dissatisfaction, the customers are not happy, your agents are not happy, the customers stop buying and tell everyone, the agents get tired of the problems continuing and leave, profits are down, market share is down, layoffs follow. It’s predictable but yet approached as illusive. Why is that?
“I didn’t have my order number or my receipt but when I called your customer service number the agent was able to look up my order by my phone number and send out a replacement part that was shipped to me overnight at no additional cost. I’m over the moon!”
“After my product went kaput I called your service number and to my surprise it was still covered under my warranty. A service tech was sent out to my house and I was up and running two days later. Not too shabby if you ask me.”
“This is the first time in my life I got to the correct person in customer service without a bunch of hassle. No transfers. No agents that had no idea how to help me. Just quick, knowledgeable service.”
