A Failure to Communicate – Continued

In my post last week, I began looking at some of the frustrating things that often occur or are assumed to be the normal way of doing things by many when it comes to the idea of customer service. I looked at things like long hold times with no periodic updates given, or being bounced from representative to representative without your case notes being given to each – causing the customer to have to explain things over and over. This time, let’s look at some tips for making the customer experience better, with a main focus on how to address things from the internal company side.

Customer service is the front line of most companies; it is the “face” of the company. When a customer calls in to a company, the person answering the phone is the company for all intents and purposes. The same goes for when they enter into an establishment and are greeted by a representative. It does not matter how well management is run, or how profitable the records reveal a company is, it is all about the front line presentation – that connection that is closest to the public eye. This is where the effort needs to be placed, with the intent of hiring the right people and being the best you can be if you hold this position.

If you are a hiring agent and just grabbing any available body you can to fill these positions, you may have a very faulty concept of the importance of this area. The kind of “face” you put on your company will have long lasting effects on the way a customer views the company, and the long term growth (or lack of growth) that occurs.

Build the company processes around the customer and not just the organization itself. Take a hard look at ways to fix this front end, to streamline end to end processes and reduce “handoffs” to help reduce errors.

Take critique and suggestions seriously. Make sure your company has in place a way for customers to provide feedback – have multiple ways for them to do this. In-store feedback cards, online surveys, call-back surveys, etc. Give the customer multiple easy-to-find and easy to complete methods of providing feedback. Feedback, both good and bad, is one of the greatest tools in the arsenal of identifying and solving problem areas in a company. To not provide this may show a lack of concern for customers, and will never give you the valuable information in this area. Of course, once you receive feedback, be sure to address and resolve it.

Go back to the front lines occasionally. If you are in management, go spend some time shadowing the customer service department to physically see how the current system in place is functioning. Sitting in your office looking at the numbers will never reveal to you the areas that need improvement. When doing this, resist the temptation to assume a supervisor role while shadowing, and just simply observe and evaluate. Jumping in and correcting issues on the fly, or becoming an overshadowing supervisor, will alter the dynamics of the daily function, and you will not see the reality as clearly. Watch, listen and address the issues later in a group session.

Also, be sure to acknowledge excellence in the employees, and not just the negative. Build confidence in them and let the recognized person be an influence on how to do things right. Build a team culture, letting them know each of them is a crucial link in the chain of the company’s success.

Do not always rely on your knowledge or tradition to be the source for all functions. Hold periodic meetings not only with the customer service representatives, but open it up to others in related departments. Let people speak and share ideas on things they feel could be improved, and maybe you will find others have ideas that can be implemented to streamline and boost performance.

The most important thing a company can do is to invest in their customer service department, to make their front line as strong as it possibly can be, through continued training and implementing an effective and customer satisfying business strategy.

If a company’s front line is weak, it will not support the company as well as it should, and this could spell disaster in the long run.