Selling Out To The Lowest Bidder... Customer Service, Where Has It Gone?
Byron, The Bay Area Critic
A look at the diminishing world of customer service and how consumers can help turn things around.
THE LINE FORMS HERE It’s getting harder and harder to review a business when most of us keep selling out to the lowest bidder. We forget about quality when it comes to getting what we want - when we want it … at the right price. Customer service will soon be a thing of the past if we don’t start speaking up and making companies aware of what they’re doing right and what they’re doing wrong.
I recall standing in a long line in a Costco when they first opened thinking to myself, “Is this shopping cart full of surplus items really worth the wait?” As I approached the cashier (after 15 minutes) and was unloading my cart it struck me that the world was beginning to change. Change perhaps is a bad way.
I was greeted by the cashier not by “Hello sir, how are you doing today?...did you find everything alright?” but by “Can I get your card?”. I presented my card and then proceeded to swipe my debit card and place my items into my shopping cart as they were rung up. While I did get a “Thanks and have a nice day” when handed my receipt and Costco card back, it seemed as though I really wasn’t appreciated at all. To top it off I had to wait in a line to have someone inspect my cart to assure that I didn’t accidentally get overcharged or undercharged. However, the impression I get is that the store is just checking to see if I shoplifted any items because I surely couldn’t by pass the line without stopping.
GETTING FRAPPED ON…(AS IN FRAPPACINO) When Starbucks first opened their stores in Portland, Oregon I couldn’t wait to stop by on the way to work to pick up my Latte. I loved the fact I could come in and order a “Double Cup, Double Pump, 180 degree, Non-Fat, No Foam, Half Caf, Carmel Macchiato with a carmel on the top and bottom” just for me. (Okay, I’m exaggerating my drink order) The cashier and the barista always greeted me with a “Good morning” and often remembered my name to as well as my drink order.
Spanren? Is this my cup?
Today, I’m lucky if I don’t have to repeat my drink order and or don’t have to stand in a long line. While it’s fairly easy to find a Starbucks location, it’s rare to find customer service. I can’t help starting my day off wrong by walking out with a luke warm coffee drink with my name spelled incorrectly on the side of the cup.
PRESS ONE IF YOU’D LIKE TO COMPLAIN ABOUT OUR PHONE MENU Phone menus are becoming increasingly popular by the business community because they allow for calls to be directed to the right resources. This economically sound process allows companies to cut costs and ideally reduce the costs of their products or services. However, too much of a good thing can be bad. We’ve all been lost in the world of phone menus and being on hold for unreasonable time periods. On a positive note, reports can be ran on where customers are being routed to and appropriate resources with in the company can work on proactively resolving the reasons for the calls. I’m still waiting for the menu choice “Please press the # key if you would like to leave a message complaining about our phone system”
PLEASE HOLD Customer service via call centers comes at a price. Call Centers are expensive overhead that don’t typically produce revenue for a company. When you factor in office space, training of employees, computer equipment, phone systems a lot of money goes into offering support on products or services. Companies really don’t like to have long hold times nor repeat callers. A call holding can be expensive, especially when the individual holds for a number of minutes, hangs up and then calls back again. I’ve known companies to basically cut off the amount of callers that can go into the holding cue to avoid costs. But setting limits, this means that calls that come in outside of the set parameters get the good old busy signal.
Repeat callers drive call center management crazy. It gets expensive if someone calls in regarding an issue that doesn’t get addressed and has to call back. This is just one of the reasons you’re asked the somewhat annoying question at the end of a call “Is there anything else that I can help you with today?” after it’s blatantly obvious that your question or questions have been address.
IF YOU DON’T CALL US… WE WON’T CALL YOU! Many websites are learning that if they force their customers to write in versus place a phone call, they’ll reduce their costs by not having to staff someone to answer the phone. Often times their customers don’t even really bother, and that adds to even more cost savings for the companies doing business over the internet. The only problem is that suddenly their customers are disappearing and the company has no clue as to why.
Ever read the instructions while filling out a rebate coupon of some sort? There’s typically a phrase that asks you to follow-up with the if you don’t receive anything in 4-6 weeks. On top of having to go through the hassle of tearing apart the box for the cpc tag, and filling out the paperwork, you’re then asked to follow-up with the company down the road and resubmit your paperwork again if they don’t receive it the first time of have records reflecting so. While a $25 rebate may sound attractive, one has to really ask themselves if their time is really worth in.
A GOOD DEFENSE MAKES A GOOD OFFENSE I’m getting the impression that when I’ve complained about something, the Manager or Employee thinks I’m out to get something in return. Customers’s with unreasonable expectations, frugal or downright cheap have paved a rocky road for the rest of us. Often time’s customers are cashing in on free meals or hotel/flight upgrades just because they’ve learned that the squeaky wheel gets the grease. This affects customer service because the automatic response from most employees is that the customer isn’t always right.
I’ve often been in restaurants or stores and have wanted to complain to someone in charge. However, have been disappointed to find out that the employee’s boss is even worse than the employee when it comes to service. In my opinion, it really does come down to the following equation:
* Bad employees typically have bad Managers * Bad Managers typically have bad Owners * Bad Owners typically don’t want to manage a business nor are aware of the service their customers are receiving.
EXCUSE ME WAITER, THERE’S A FLY IN MY SOUP We live in a very litigious world and it has an impact on the care of customers and turning the world into a very clinical environment. As lawsuits are brought forth, companies have to adjust there policies and procedures to protect themselves. Even if a court case isn’t won or settled out of court, the insurance companies or business leadership can impose changes that affect the way customers are handled as precaution. Employees have very strict guidelines to follow anymore. I remember the days were one could get an extra shot of whiskey in their drink because the bartender was having a good day and thought they would be extra nice to the patron. Now, everything is measured and the bartender is accountable for almost every drop that’s dispensed.
A free meal at the discretion of the food server at a restaurant is unheard of unless there’s been a major mistake. Even if that’s the case, the free meal needs to be Okayed by the Manager.
If a customer slips on something in while at a place of business, the automatic reaction is to snap into defensive mode. Lawsuits and false claims definitely play a huge part in customer service whether the business world acknowledges or not.
