As I sat patiently then impatiently waiting for a company representative to call me with information about a significant repair to a major piece of equipment, I couldn’t help but wonder what was going on. After dropping the equipment at a dealership, I was advised that my advisor would call me soon with information.
Just before closing the next day, I received both text and email messages saying that I had missed my scheduled drop-off and please call to reschedule. When I called to say the equipment was already there, I was transferred several times before being cut off. I called until I got a general voice mail box, left a message and expected to hear something the next morning.
Early mid-morning, I called and left a message for the advisor. Late morning, I left a message for the service manager. Early afternoon, I forwarded the message I had received the day before from the dealership and implored someone to please call me as I was beginning to feel quite distressed. Two hours later I continue to wait.
In addition to being absolutely maddening, I find this truly puzzling. Most people in the service business know the importance of communication. They all attend workshops ad nauseum reminding them. Simple, quick check-ins keep customers in the loop, even when the update may be “we haven’t figured this out yet.”
Leaving customers to wonder is a certain strategy for alienation and deep dissatisfaction.
I began thinking about the methods by which many companies conduct business today. There are automated systems for many functions. Machines keep better track of information and can be queried more readily than harried humans. However, if information (such as intake date and time) are not entered into the system, the system says, “it’s not here.” This is understandable. The process has been aborted.
Yet, the customer trusts that upon following protocol, work will proceed as promised. Silence of any extended length creates irritation and then suspicion.
If this happens often enough, the people who have to deal with increasingly anxious customers start avoiding call-backs, fearing unpleasant exchanges. Unhappy customers go up the chain, managers reprimand workers who are at the mercy of systems, and in time these people get fed up and look for greener pastures.
Here’s my plea to businesses who rely on systems for efficiency and profitability. Test them from time to time. Hire secret shoppers to challenge them. Ask customer service reps about their experiences. Bring in customers as informal advisors to troubleshoot glitches.
Above all, support those who are charged with maintaining customer contact. They are your ambassadors. Hack them off and you put a big ding in your reputation.
