In the 1980s, customer friendliness was in the spotlight. Many agencies provided courses to improve customer service. In 2022, things have improved, but customer unfriendliness still exists. This is how it can happen that:
you no longer get anyone on the phone personally;
you receive a promise that is not kept;
you communicate in an impersonal chat;
you get uninterested people on the phone;
you are on hold for a long time by telephone;
you will be referred several times;
you will never be called back;
etc.
You would think that customer service would have been optimal over the decades. Unfortunately, that is still insufficient. Many companies are still not meeting customer expectations. You would also expect that current technical tools and data collections would allow for good monitoring. It was assumed that social media will solve the challenge of meeting customer expectations. The thinking was that as companies become more involved with social tools, they will monitor what is going on and then make the necessary adjustments. There are companies that keep an eye on this, but that does not mean that changes are being made.
If any of this sounds familiar, then it's time to fix it. There are some tips for achieving this.
Giving responsibility
As a company, you have conditions and limits when it comes to solving problems. A customer service employee must adhere to this. It wouldn't hurt to investigate this further. The customer expects a solution from a customer service representative. So recalibrate the responsibility you give the customer service representative.
Replays
You are known to a company as a customer, but if you have a complaint, you must again provide your name and address, bank account number, customer ID, etc. This causes irritation to the customer.
Empathic ability
A customer service representative must have empathy. The ability to understand and deal with customer problems is invaluable in meeting customer expectations. This is still not taken into account when hiring new customer service staff. It is therefore not about having new employees simply follow instructions from the company and be able to enter data.
Customer service culture
Corporate culture is determined from the top. Subcultures such as that of customer service are determined by the responsible management. That management itself must radiate that customer service. They have an exemplary role. The customer service representatives will then follow suit. And if an employee performs well, appreciate that too. Then it also has an exemplary function.
Goal orientation
The customer service department must have a good understanding of the company's objectives and conditions. Related to this, they must realize that their actions have a direct impact on the customers. They must be aware that they are part of the organization that wants to achieve its objectives. Customer service employees therefore indirectly determine turnover.
