“Thank you for calling. We are currently experiencing higher than normal call volumes. Your call is very important to us. All calls are answered in the order that they are received. Please wait on the line and the next service representative will be with you in just a few moments. We apologize for any delay.”
Translation:
“Why are you calling? Our call center is over-burdened. Your money is very important to us, but your time is not. We take as many calls as we can, but they are expensive, so please press “9” to leave a message or wait on hold and listen to our marketing pitch while our operators struggle with other calls. Please hang up, go to our webpage and search for answers there.”
Funny? Maybe. But this scenario is all too real to most of us. Great service and customer satisfaction is too important to leave to the answering machine. When buying software, certify that service is an integrated part of the vendor’s product offering. Make sure that full support, training, monitoring and retraining services come as part of the product set and are not offered on a cafeteria basis. Ensure that the provider has a complete service program in place and described in detail as part of the product purchase. Look for live, well trained support professionals that speak your language and answer the phone. Check out this post for a particular view of customer service calls.
In my own company, we have made customer service the cornerstone of our business because we realize its value in not only retaining “happy” clients, but also attracting new ones. We also realize that a lot of companies claim they make service a priority, but then fall short. We decided that instead of just talking about great customer service, we would guarantee it.
Think about service and support as a proactive, persistent experience delivered to you on a regular basis, not just when something goes wrong. Great service experiences are like great dining experiences – you have what you need when you need it; you’ve got what you ordered and you aren’t left hungry, parched, or with a bad case of indigestion.
Get a customer service guarantee from your service provider.
