Customer Service Tolerations Equal Customer Loss

In honor of Customer Service Week here’s a short list of prevalent service tolerations that I’ve recently experienced and the solutions that I might suggest.

• My tax guy doesn’t return calls – EVER. Sometimes his voice mailbox is full and you can’t even leave a message. I’m forced to recommend training "Please Return My Phone Call."
  
• Some professionals (like dentists) seem to think it’s okay to keep you waiting with no update. It’s not that I never expect to wait. I expect to know why the schedule is off. My rule is 15 minutes. If the schedule is running behind 15 minutes or more, the patient/customer should be alerted. Don’t take my word for it. Here’s a tip sheet on general management. Please enjoy.
  
• Have you ever discovered a problem that the company refused to acknowledge? I picked up cleaning on Monday. When I went to wear the pants on Friday the zippers had melted shut. In spite of the receipt, the cleaners maintained that they couldn’t be sure the problem was theirs. This business could benefit from other business owner experiences and I’d recommend “Avoid-my-mistakes.”


• In a world of GPS, mobile phones, and dispatch central I’m amazed that the window for delivery or service is still “morning” or “afternoon.” What happened to an appointment? Obviously, the company needs to look at ongoing training. This resource can help.


• Then there are the voice mails that fall into never-never land. C’mon people. Return your calls. Here’s a 10-step compilation of voice mail tips from Desk Demon.


• NOTE: For some reason during renewal, one of my subscriptions got doubled up. I received the weekly at home and at the post office. Since there was no subscription service available on the web, I called and left a message. The next week I did it again. The third week I called the switchboard and requested a live voice. No such luck. The fourth week I gave up. The fifth week I got a return call. OK. They had my money. But really, is this service? Are we really that busy?

It’s customer service week, people! The little service tolerations add up to big service implications: customers move and fail to return. It costs five times more to get a new customer. Maximize your dollars by servicing well and keeping your current customers.