A funny and telling definition of Customer service has been
put this way – “Apologizing to total strangers for things over which you have
no control”
As both a Customer and
a Customer Service “Representative” (or “CSR” ) I have had a few thoughts on this topic of
Customer Service and how we treat people in this industry.
1) The first point I would like to make is this – as customers we have to distinguish our
feelings for the corporation from our feelings toward the level entry worker
you most often encounter (and on whom we often take out our wrath.)
As a customer I can understand the anger we can feel towards
the corporation in question ( which ever that may be) , however it is a huge
mistake to take out your anger against the corporation on the store associate
who is lucky enough to get your complaint.
The average customer service worker – whether they be a
cashier, a waitress, a drive through attendant, a telephone support worker or a big box store floor worker (hereafter referred to as the CSR ) - is not responsible for corporate policy.
To boot - They are
often poorly paid and poorly trained – and that, again, is the fault of the corporation.
Of course - they are responsible for their own personal
conduct, their patience, their effort in helping you and their attitude in
general…. But not the edicts passed down from “Head Office”.
When it comes to issues of price and policy – don’t shoot
the messenger.
Perhaps you should ask to talk to a manager (they are paid
more and trained more and are expected to take on more responsibility).
You may not know this
but the average CSR is held to at least 3 “metrics” or standards.
a) They are expected to have great customer satisfaction . This
is usually measured by telephone, online or “fill out the card” surveys. However the
customers often fill out their
surveys only when they are angry – and
the even then it is usually with things beyond the CSR’s control.
Its also interesting to note that in a lot of businesses
unless the CSR gets an “Extremely Satisfied” , they actually get docked points.
In other words when we customers fill something out as
“Fairly” or “Somewhat” satisfied – the employee gets a big fat 0 , just the
same as if you had said “Extremely Unsatisfied”.
Unfortunately . The systematic measuring of customer
satisfaction of the CSR in the industry is extremely inaccurate and not true to
life.
b) Quality control –
the CSR is also responsible for upholding company policy to a “t” . This often handcuffs them in their attempt to
please the customer – an example:
If you are on a phone, the common rule is that the CSR is
not allowed to even let you talk to a supervisor until you have asked 3
times! If they give you to a supervisor
before then they will get docked in their Quality Control metric – this in
turns affects their review and possibly their employment.
c) To add to these things, the average CSR is also expected
to get things done fast or to increase sales or production . In other words,
taking the time to make sure the customer is satisfied is often discouraged by
the fact that their “call time” is now
too long ( or drive through time too slow , or sales too low etc…)
One other note – We all know how annoyed we get when the
person on the other end of the phone support has a thick accent. But once
again, are you really mad at them? Are
you mad that they took a well-paying job to provide for themselves and their
family ?
No, the corporation again must be held accountable for their
decisions and policies.
2) The
second principle I believe we need to remember when dealing with those in the
customer service industry is simply this
-
The universal law of “Love your neighbour” does not go out the window
just because you are spending money. The
CSR should still be treated with courtesy and respect. Believe it or not - we are not better then them.
Christians - re-read
that last paragraph.
Now I am not out to vilify all corporations as some are
great employers and they too have their challenges ( if the company doesn’t
make any money, we all lose) .
Nor am I excusing the poor effort or bad attitudes put forth
by some CSRs – as I said above - they
are responsible for their own personal conduct, their patience, their effort in
helping you and their attitude in general .
But lets just take a few moments to think before we are
rude, angry or just plain disrespectful to that person in the customer service
industry.
My friend Joel had this to add on as a comment - I wholeheartedly agree!
Joel Boismier
I can't seem to make the comment section work on your blog so I'll put my comments here:
Being in a customer service based industry I can definitely verify that the comments in the blog are correct and that we all encounter the crazy customers who make our lives difficult. But there is also the plus side of the job too when we have great customers who understand and work with you.
Typically the reason I encounter rude or irrate customers is when it comes to money. Money is such a driving force in our world that ones own money usually comes before anything else. The returns policy, bargining and the price of items are what draw customers into and drive them out of a store.
Honestly though, I am happier to work with and find work arounds for dilemmas that arise when a customer is level headed over a customer who is tearing a strip off of you. Respect, what I'm getting at, goes both ways!
Being in a customer service based industry I can definitely verify that the comments in the blog are correct and that we all encounter the crazy customers who make our lives difficult. But there is also the plus side of the job too when we have great customers who understand and work with you.
Typically the reason I encounter rude or irrate customers is when it comes to money. Money is such a driving force in our world that ones own money usually comes before anything else. The returns policy, bargining and the price of items are what draw customers into and drive them out of a store.
Honestly though, I am happier to work with and find work arounds for dilemmas that arise when a customer is level headed over a customer who is tearing a strip off of you. Respect, what I'm getting at, goes both ways!
