Customer Service: What Really Matters Now?
What is happening to our customer service levels in Jersey? With summer and the sales behind us – how hard should we be trying to attract and keep customers?
True Quoted conversations
Customer: ‘Can someone measure me for a bra please?’
Shop Assistant: ‘I cant because there are only two of us here at the moment – can you come back tomorrow morning when it is less busy?’
Customer: ‘Well, no I cant, I work.
Then the customer watched as the assistant chatted with the other assistant and then went off to lunch as a third assistant returned.
Customer: ‘I’d like to have a look at some watches please for my girlfriend’
Shop Assistant: Well, we have these, or these but these will be far too expensive’
The customer was offended and walked out in disgust. He went to another store and bought a ‘very expensive’ watch.
In this example, it is 1645 in shoe shop:
Shop Assistant: ‘Excuse me, but are you actually going to purchase anything this evening?’
Customer: ‘Well, I am not sure yet, I am looking’
The customer’s little girl picked up a pair of shoes ‘ ‘Mummy, these are lovely’
The voice of the Shop Assistant could be heard ‘Yes, but they aren’t in the sale’
This customer asked to see the manager and complained about the attitude of the SA.
Is Customer Service a Lost Art?
It is not just the retail sector either, but complaints abound in some Utility Companies, Finance etc.
I understand the economic climate is more difficult now than for decades. Shouldn’t we be trying even harder to improve our customer service levels and win the customers loyalty?
Competition has been and will continue to arrive in the islands – all wanting a slice of the profit but who will win the war? True Customer Satisfaction only results from a combination of a Good Product or Service and Good Human Factors. The ‘human factors’ are the elements of customer contact between the customer and a sales assistant either face to face or over the telephone.
To Care Or Not To Care: That is the Question.
They are the points of contact which leave the customer with a clear understanding of whether or not the company is ‘customer-orientated’. Often referred to as ‘customer care’ it is exactly that – do the sales assistants ‘care’ or not. Words like ‘Can you come back tomorrow when it is less busy’, are the kiss of death to customer satisfaction. The way in which we are treated throughout any transaction will determine our response and trigger a desire to return to the shop/store/bank/etc or not.
Human Factors are apparent by the way in which we deal with the customer through our body language, our tone of voice and the type of language we use.
Once we attain a good level of customer service, from this basic platform a company can introduce training in sales skills and develop a sales culture.
What is the level of customer service in your place of work? Do people really appreciate the loss of revenue to an organisation each time we fail the customer?
The Word of Mouth Effect
Research tells us that one unhappy customer will tell another ten people! Another truth is that a high percentage of customers will not complain – they simply won’t return.
So, I question why this is happening now when what should matter now is an even higher level of customer service. Well, we are experiencing times of change and uncertainty, which can leave staff and managers alike demotivated.
The product or service can be affected by systems, procedures and structure changes, whilst the ‘human factor’ can fade or become distorted due to staff reactions to change.
The Change Factor
No matter which sector we work in, when ‘change’ increases its dimensions, it impacts on each individual member of staff.
Understanding people and managing their responses to change is critical to the success of any organisation navigating its way through change. A motivated workforce makes a vital contribution to quality and service, which gives your company a valuable competitive advantage.
