What happened to quality customer service? Does it still exist? You tell me.

Customer Service, what does it mean?  Entrepreneur magazine defines customer service as "The degree of assistance and courtesy granted those who patronize a business".  Can a business survive without it?  I mean with cutbacks and the current situation with the economy, even customer service jobs are being cut completely or sent to India and other locations outside the United States.  Lets be real, companies have been sending these jobs overseas for years now.  But, what is the cost to the consumer or to the corporation for that matter?  Cost savings are not as cut and dry as you think. 

Take for example, the situation at Walgreens.  They are a large chain with full service Pharmacies and they want to streamline and be more cost effective.  They hear that their pharmacists are spending too much time talking to customers and they see an opportunity to save some cash.  Solution?  Route all calls from your local pharmacy to a call center who then handles calls for every Walgreens Pharmacy.  Sounds cost effective and I can guarantee it looks great on paper.  So what is the problem?  Customer service of course.  Each pharmacy builds up rapport with their customers.  Over time they get to know their "regulars" and their "regulars" get to know them.  That rapport that connects them is also why the customer stays and does not switch to the competing pharmacy who is trying to steal Walgreens business regularly.  As long as the customer is happy, there is no desire to switch.  Now what if I told you that the call center the calls were routed to can't handle any of the local issues and they are just going to have to forward your call to the pharmacy anyway?  Now that seems like a pain and a wasted step for the consumer, right?  Now add to that the fact that when the call center tries to forward the call to the pharmacy, the line is then busy and they tell you to call back.  Oh yeah, you can't call back directly to the pharmacy, you have to go through the call center again.  Who will then ask you a bunch of questions, again, and finally forward your call to the local pharmacy which will again be busy.  See a problem yet?  My family used to be Walgreens pharmacy customers for over 8 years.  When it got to the point that we could not reach our local pharmacy ever, even when there was a problem, we gave up.  The personal touch?  Well that was lost with the new call center.  So guess what we did?  Probably the same thing many customers have done.  Left to go to the competition.  What do you think the cost of obtaining a loyal customer is?  Perhaps they need to add that into the costs of that cost effective call center idea.  In my defense, I did contact Walgreens corporate about the situation before blogging about it now.

I think it is a safe bet to say that quality customer service is vital to any organization if they realize it or not.  What can a company do to capitalize on the good will created by good customer service?  Maybe try what Sprint did.  When I call Sprint/Nextel, I always hear a pleasant voice.  That voice has always been professional even if I as a customer have been frustrated.  And trust me I have been.  There have been major snafu's and problems.  The key is to minimize the problems and have great customer service problem solvers who can fix the problems when they happen.  They are there to help you no matter what.  Perhaps that explains why I have been a loyal Sprint customer for over 7 years now.  Take for example today.  I had the pleasure to speak with Kevin who says he is dedicated to excellence.  I actually believe Kevin because he did provide exceptional customer service.  What did he do?  He listened to the needs of the customer, he was patient and understanding, helpful and knowledgeable. He handled my payment, he helped me figure out what kind of phone to get for my 13 year old, taking into consideration that down the road I may add some features such as internet or text messaging to his account which is currently blocked.  He understood.  He treated me with respect even though I had no idea what kind of phone I needed or what services I might want on that phone.  To me that is good customer service.  I expect professional and pleasant individuals who can multi task, who are well trained in all areas that would affect my call, who have the authority and the ability to resolve my issue on the spot or with limited interaction.  So thank you Kevin for giving me something to blog about today.  Oh by the way, Sprint/Nextel, this guy needs a raise.  Obviously he is on his way up in your corporation.  (Kevin M. oy566893)  Thank you Sprint for making quality customer service an integral part of your business plan. 

Do I even dare tell you about my call to Dish Network?  In their defense, I have had very good service in the past but today for some reason it is just the opposite.  I talked to Nick 1N7 who would not help me on my account.  Instead he proceeded to read to me the notes word for word on the account in a very sarcastic way.  (Didn't your Mom ever tell you that was rude?)  Now, gasp, the notes on the account sounded more like CYA, somebody covering their butt basically.  So when he read them to me, that is not what the previous representative ever mentioned to me.  It was more like, told customer this and told customer that and customer should not expect to have this corrected for two billing cycles etc etc etc.  As much as I love exceptional customer service, I loathe no customer service or rudeness.  So Dish Network, this one needs some additional training to say the least.

Another good example of customer service?  Brita.  I found a deal on a Brita pitcher and figured I might as well try it out.  We thought it was great for a day or two and then the next day I go to get it out of the fridge and there is a small crack on the side.  I could not believe it.  I called Brita and the professional person who answered my call resolved my situation and I had a replacement at my door within a few days.  Now that is service you can believe in.

How about you?  What kind of experiences have you had with customer service?  Have you ever complained and your issue was resolved?  Complained and it was not resolved?  When I receive really bad customer service, I mean really bad, I will complain.  When I receive exceptional customer service I will let the management know.  Want to promote good customer service?  When you see it reward it.  If it is a waitress tip her, a Subway sandwich maker tip him, or even better when you see an exceptional employee, let their boss know.  At Cracker Barrel you pay when you check out, so it was easy to tell the manager about an exceptional employee.  Lets resolve to do just that.  Reward good service!  Let me know what you  think or if you want to share an example of how you were able to reward good service.