Is Customer Service a Dying Art Form?
Recently my wife and I had an urge for some fast-food so I told her I’d “Make a Run for the Border” like the commercial says for some quick take-out Mexican. I got in the truck, made the drive, got in line and ordered, drove forward and very quickly was presented with a bag with a big sticker over the folded top that stated it had been “sealed for my protection”! “Wow I thought, fast service and they delivered the food in a “safe” manner too”. I get home, open the bag and yes, there it is…half the order was missing! I guess thankfully it was my food that didn’t make the trip so at least my wife didn’t kill me for not getting her dinner!
After all this, as I was eating my sandwich for dinner, I started thinking about where on earth good customer service has gone? They put sticker on the bag stating it had been prepared safely and hopefully Covid-Free, but someone couldn’t take the time to check to make sure all the food was in there to begin with? It got me thinking about how it seems lately that no one seems to care much about exceeding customer expectations, delivering MORE than the minimum, going the extra yard to make sure a customer is satisfied, or at a minimum how about just making sure the tacos are in the bag!
After I ate, I decided to look into this question a little more so I did a little “Googling” to get some data. Here are some amazing stats: Since February of this year, requests for Customer Support from retail store chains have increased 133%! That means 133% more people are calling in with issues that need resolving. Large call increases to the mega-call centers that handle customer service for all types of business are at an all time high as well. Right along with these trends comes a 34% higher level of hold times for those folks calling in and a 65% increase in “escalation requests” (where the caller asks to speak to a supervisor). At the end of the day what I learned is that there are a LOT of unhappy, unfulfilled, unsatisfied, angry folks out there that deal with disappointment every single day when they are SPENDING their hard-earned dollars with a company, and all they usually want is to be taken care of. Or in my case, just a couple lousy tacos!!!
So, how does this story relate to me, and what I do for a living you might ask? Maybe nothing. Maybe everything. Me, I think that superior customer service, the result of a business transaction that leaves you with such a good feeling that you KNOW that you will want to go back again, or refer a friend/relative, is one of the best examples of a successful business that I know. When a company has a culture of EXCEEDING expectations, delivering MORE than a customer expects, goes the EXTRA YARD to find a solution for a challenging problem, I guarantee that customer will never have a problem finding customers that want to do business with them.
I’ll leave with this….every time you have an interaction with a customer…every conversation, every email, every text…are you doing everything you can to deliver the BEST Customer Service experience for that customer possible? If you are…we are winning. If you aren’t….we aren’t!
Have a great day!!!
Rick
LEGAL DISCLAIMER
While Tire Group International, LLC. (“TGI”), makes every effort to present accurate and reliable information on this Web Site and Blog, TGI does not endorse, approve, or certify such information, including any opinions presented, nor does it guarantee the accuracy, completeness, efficacy, or timeliness of such information or opinions. Except as expressly stated, all information on this Web Site is provided without warranty of any kind, express or implied. You are solely responsible for the appropriateness of this Web Site, its content, and the products and services offered by TGI.
Leave a comment!