The Lie at the Heart of Customer Service

- Gerry Gaffney. October 3, 2006. Cartoon by Gina Ellis.

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'Your call is important to us'

In the years when companies became enamoured with information technology, it often seemed that the individual had disappeared from view.

People became accustomed to adjusting themselves and their actions to fit new technologies. They came to accept 'computer error', which was the customary explanation for many of the problems they encountered when dealing with government agencies, banks, utilities, and other corporations.

There were those who pointed out that technology was being allowed to dominate rather than support, but in general the forces arguing for efficiency, automation and modernisation were stronger.

With the advent of the internet, cheap computers, e-commerce and globalisation, it appeared that everything was about to change, and that companies would have to modify their technology strategies to support non-expert users – those who were deemed not to be 'computer literate'.

Everything would be 'user-friendly'. Websites would be 'usable' and companies would adopt 'user-centred' design practices, and would focus on the 'user experience'.

At the same time, corporations began to embrace 'Customer Relationship Management' (CRM). Not only did the corporations have a relationship with individuals, but it seemed as though they actually cared about it and would invest time and effort nurturing it.

This apparent triumph of the individual might be expected to result a world in which individuals would experience a better level of customer service. We have not seen this revolution, however. We still experience the cold shoulder of the uncaring monolith, summed up in the recorded phrase:

'Your call is important to us.'

It requires a high degree of corporate doublethink to greet customers with this message or its many equivalents, and then expect them to remain on hold for long minutes, experiencing a clear and unambiguous demonstration that their call is not, in fact, important.

Of course financial and practical considerations may mean that it is difficult, inappropriate or inefficient to have a staff member deal with all incoming calls. In fact it is frequently preferable to employ machines to facilitate interactions such as routine bill-paying, voicemail access, account queries and the like. For example, when I had a problem with my Lenovo laptop, the Lenovo website was able to communicate directly with the computer and ascertain the warranty status – a much easier process than calling a customer support representative.

However, good customer service requires that when automated devices do not meet the customer's need (for whatever reason), the ability to divert to a human should be rapid.

On an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system, the option to have a customer support person return a customer's call creates a strong impression of a company that cares about its customers' time – not just its own.

Conversely, when a telco staff member can't call me back because they are not allowed to make outgoing calls, it speaks volumes about the extent to which the telco cares about its customers.

Empowering call centre staff is fundamental to good customer service. Many organisations, however, view call centres purely as a drain on resources, and attempt to squeeze them to the lowest possible cost. Staffing call centres with inexperienced or inadequately trained staff, and setting performance measures that focus on call throughput and place little emphasis on quality will not tend to produce satisfied customers.

Perhaps the doublethink has its origin in the very term 'customer relationship management'. Real relationships are things we are in, not things we can manage from outside.

The email channel

The lack of customer focus is not restricted to telephony. The communications channel least effectively used is undoubtedly email.

When well implemented, email can be an excellent way to communicate with customers, confirming their requests, notifying them of progress, or providing them with valuable and useful information. However, an email channel that fails to provide the ability to escalate to a human assistant is likely to first confuse and finally exasperate the customer who needs such assistance.

In many cases, email channels are worse than useless, with customer emails ignored or treated in an inappropriate generic fashion.

This replacement of two-way communication with a one-way medium is the conversational equivalent of always talking and never listening.

'Low-value' customers

It is not just in the implementation of technology that companies reveal their lack of true interest in their customers. Many companies actively try to divest themselves of so-called low-value customers – those whose contribution to the company's profitability is deemed insufficient. While this trend is understandable, it reveals a real lack of human focus that eloquently reveals the underlying attitude to customers.

For organizations to embrace 'customer relationship management' while simultaneously penalising or downgrading low-value customers is hypocritical – like abandoning our friends and family once they become old or ill. It's also likely to be a short-sighted strategy. The old lady whom the bank ignores is most likely related to or connected with people who are 'high-value' customers, and who will judge the bank by its behaviour towards her.

The essentials

Creating a good relationship with customers is not complicated. There are three elements:

• Good products
• Reasonable pricing
• Respect.

Respect means acknowledging the human needs of our customers. The shopkeeper who knows our name or our preferences will receive our business. However, the shopkeeper who only pretends to care will quickly be exposed.

Future trends

Increasingly, customers are faced with products and services that are differentiated less by features and quality, and more by intangibles such as brand and experience. This trend forces companies to vie for our business and attempt to win our loyalty.

Attempts to tie customers in with bundling and cross-promotional arrangements can be neatly countered by newcomers providing the ability to switch suppliers with an absolute minimum of inconvenience. Increasingly, we'll be able to switch banks, utilities and the like with a minimum of hassle. Recently I switched one of my mobile phones from one telco (the one whose customer support staff can't make outgoing calls) to another, with no wait and no hassle.

Companies who depend on customer loyalty will have to earn it. They can do so by demonstrating that they genuinely care about their customers.

For companies that grasp the nettle, there is an opportunity to attract truly loyal customers, who will not be readily wooed away by minor price differences or other incentives.