My friend Vicky is a terrific communicator, whip smart and always sharing her personal and professional experiences with me from which I have benefitted greatly.
In a recent conversation, she expressed her frustration about the lack of customer service in today’s marketplace. For two weeks, Vicky tried unsuccessfully to pay a five-figure invoice from her company to another business. She left messages asking to confirm the company’s new address. No one returned her calls.
“COVID or not, companies need to make the process seamless for the customer,” she exclaimed.
Whether trying to pay a bill or complaining when something isn’t right, people look for customer service to provide them with answers. With today’s digital technology, the experience should be much improved universally in order to prevent delays and increase timely responses. Like Vicky learned, that is not always the case.
According to this recent article on customer service in sales & marketing, businesses must be prepared for the routine and the unexpected, (consider the disruption of the pandemic), and it has to start from the top down in your company culture. Being transparent and taking a proactive approach to customer service is in demand.
If companies want to retain their current relationships and gain new ones, trust must be established at the forefront.
