DON’T BOTHER US, WE’RE TOO BUSY “MAKING MONEY”
As might be expected, businesses are increasingly reverting to sales over service, these days too busy “making money” (or trying to) to offer expected customer service. Too busy to hear the feedback from customers about what they’re trying to sell. Too busy to fix and innovate. Too busy to do real business, instead focused on “giving customers the business.”
Unfortunately, when a business stops phone and email customer support for automated “chats” and “forums,” it’s almost always been a sign that the business is dying. Without happy customers, there is no business. No one even to “give them the business.” Eventually no more sales. No more money. I’ve always gauged companies based on, yes, of course, their product(s) and how well they satisfy my customer needs, but equally importantly on the service they offer. Nothing is as affronting as a business that doesn’t care to hear from its customers. Nothing except being told how valuable customer I am, and then leaving me in a two- to three-hour phone cue. What that conveys to me, beyond pure hubris, is that there’s something REALLY wrong with the product or company. Getting rid of phone customer support is the first sign of a product gone awry, or a company about to die.
Many times, customer service is more important than the product. How many different kinds of “most efficient” can openers does one really need? Remember the “Maytag man” who was supposedly always eager to talk to customers, but no one ever needed to call? That’s the sign of an outstanding company and product. In today’s age of “Fast Eddies” and get-rich-quick-and-easy schemes business persons often forget that business means customer service. And customer satisfaction, meaning the service actually works.
There is one other “new” phenomenon that, as a consumer, irks me equally if not more than lack of outstanding customer service: the removal (or conscious not restocking) of items that sell well and consumers want to force people to purchase other similar, slower selling products “on the shelf.” Rewarding in-excellence, like expecting human greed to make life better for everyone, is a non-sequitur. Doesn’t make sense. It’s from feedback that businesses grow and prosper.
I don’t really talk much about these enormously important issues in THE EDGE OF MADNESS (Aignos 2020) by Raymond Gaynor (search “The Edge of Madness Gaynor”), but I can’t think of anything that can drive me to the edge of (consumer) madness like a business that doesn’t offer superb customer service. Can you?
The Edge of Madness
Unfortunately, when a business stops phone and email customer support for automated “chats” and “forums,” it’s almost always been a sign that the business is dying. Without happy customers, there is no business. No one even to “give them the business.” Eventually no more sales. No more money. I’ve always gauged companies based on, yes, of course, their product(s) and how well they satisfy my customer needs, but equally importantly on the service they offer. Nothing is as affronting as a business that doesn’t care to hear from its customers. Nothing except being told how valuable customer I am, and then leaving me in a two- to three-hour phone cue. What that conveys to me, beyond pure hubris, is that there’s something REALLY wrong with the product or company. Getting rid of phone customer support is the first sign of a product gone awry, or a company about to die.
Many times, customer service is more important than the product. How many different kinds of “most efficient” can openers does one really need? Remember the “Maytag man” who was supposedly always eager to talk to customers, but no one ever needed to call? That’s the sign of an outstanding company and product. In today’s age of “Fast Eddies” and get-rich-quick-and-easy schemes business persons often forget that business means customer service. And customer satisfaction, meaning the service actually works.
There is one other “new” phenomenon that, as a consumer, irks me equally if not more than lack of outstanding customer service: the removal (or conscious not restocking) of items that sell well and consumers want to force people to purchase other similar, slower selling products “on the shelf.” Rewarding in-excellence, like expecting human greed to make life better for everyone, is a non-sequitur. Doesn’t make sense. It’s from feedback that businesses grow and prosper.
I don’t really talk much about these enormously important issues in THE EDGE OF MADNESS (Aignos 2020) by Raymond Gaynor (search “The Edge of Madness Gaynor”), but I can’t think of anything that can drive me to the edge of (consumer) madness like a business that doesn’t offer superb customer service. Can you?
The Edge of Madness
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