Going back to Customer Service fundamentals - INTREGRITY

Dennis AuBuchon published this very pertinent article on the American Chronicle website. It goes back to basic fundamentals and touches on his area of expertise: Integrity.

Customer service is a term that we have come to recognize as a part of the process of doing business or purchasing products or services from a company. This article is about what constitutes integrity in customer service and what does not. Many of us have our own concept of what customer service means to us as individuals. The detail of customer service changes based on the detail and complexity of the product or service we are purchasing. Integrity in customer service is something we as consumers should demand as we have a right to expect it. As a business person customer service is something that has an impact on either retaining customers or losing them. This article will identify some characteristics that are or should be a part of customer service activity for any business. In balancing this article some characteristics which turn off customers will also be identified.

The definition of customer service as defined by www.dictionary.com is assistance and other resources that a company provides to the people who buy or use its products or services. This definition says it all. Customer service involves not only people who buy a company´s products or services but also who use them. True customer service will have a positive impact on retaining customers while bad customer service will in all likelihood cause a company to lose customers. While the definition cited in this paragraph identifies the characteristics of customer service I am going to take it one step further.

Customer service also involves helping people find the products or services they want or need. When a customer walks through the doors of a business they should be met with employees who will ask them if they can help them find what they are looking for. Many times I have walked into businesses and this does not happen. This is not good customer service. While some people may not want to be met by someone as you walk in the door of a business it makes good business sense to do so. People can defer the help if they do not want or need it. Other times while looking for a product and you have a question it is hard to find someone to help. This may not always be the case but when a customer has questions there should be people readily available to help them.

Another aspect of customer service is having the people who know the products in the department they are working. This can make the difference between making a sale and leaving without a purchase. Many companies train their employees well in their products so they can answer customer questions. Another part of this aspect is the integrity factor. Those answering questions should be truthful in the statements they make as it will reflect on the company to have individuals make false statements. The statements may not be recognized to be bad ones until after the sale when customers become dissatisfied with the product or service they have purchased. I have purchased products in the past and have asked questions about different brands and was not given an honest answer. The individual either did not know the right answer or he was trying to sell a specific brand. This has caused me to discontinue being a customer for this company.

Another example of poor customer service is when you ask to speak to a store or department manager about an issue and they do not have the courtesy to respond to you in person. They delegate the action to a subordinate. Some stores have the motto customer service comes first but sometimes this motto is ignored at the highest level in a company or department store. A company must pay attention to their customers and adhere to the concept that customer service comes first. Companies must remember that they would not exist without their customers. If they have poor customer service their customers will not stay long and they will communicate their experiences to their family and friends. This is the kind of publicity a company does not wish to have.

There is a different side to customer service that many may not realize. Customer service does not have to be a face to face encounter. Many more avenues are now available to us than before. Customer service in the past was limited to face to face or on the telephone. Today there is the Internet. Both these avenues will be discussed in the next couple of paragraphs including the good and the bad characteristics of each method.

Many companies now have toll free numbers to contact them with questions. This information can be found on many products that we now buy. When I make a telephone call to a company I expect to talk to an individual not a recording with press this button for this or press this button for that. People like to talk to individuals not recordings. A good characteristic of customer service is having individuals answer the telephone or at least have the option to talk to someone about your problem or question.

There are examples where the choices put you in contact with specific departments and this is great. There are also examples where you do not have this option and this would be poor customer service.

If you have a particular problem you want to talk to an individual not a recording. Many stores also now have web sites and options to contact them. These options are great to get in contact with the main site for a company. It gets information directly to personnel without going through a local store. The key for this option is to voice your opinion about the service you received or the lack of it. The response you receive should address your issue and what action, if any, will be taken. A proper response from company officials would include such items but if the response tends to ignore your complaints then it would be considered bad customer service. Sometimes customers have issues with products that they cannot get an appropriate response from local stores. When a customer receives a product that they have ordered which is damaged an appropriate response from a store should not be to refund part of the purchase price. Customers should demand the quality product for which they paid. It is also inappropriate to offer another higher priced product to replace the damaged one and expect the customer to pay the difference. Both of these actions are inappropriate and are prime examples of poor customer service. If a customer wanted a higher priced product they would have purchased it. Companies who offer higher priced products are trying to avoid their responsibilities to assure that the customer receive a quality product for which they paid.

The above examples that have been identified in this article represent what customer service is all about. Customers who order or purchase products or services have a right to expect a quality product or service. The true test of the customer service a company has is in the service after the sale. When customers are not satisfied with a product or service they should voice their opinions loudly and those in management at the corporate or local level should be willing to listen. Management at a local facility of a company should be available to talk to customers who have complaints. Ignoring these customers and delegating to lower subordinates turns off customers and leaves a bad taste in their mouths. This kind of experience is how companies loose customers.

Many companies have mottos or policies posted prominently such as customer service comes first. When companies do not follow through with their posted policies it not only projects an image that their word cannot be trusted but that they lack the integrity that is so needed in today´s economy.