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Rating System…

I’m big on customer service.  Being that I’ve worked in the industry for at least 5yrs. and it’s the first thing I notice when I walk into a business, or call a customer service help line.  I’d rather do business with a company whose products cost more and the company has great service than one with inexpensive products and lousy service.  My view is that in this economy and with so many options given to consumers, it pays to have incredible customer service; the customer service agents/representatives are the ones who act as a liaison between the company and the customer and they are what keep customers coming back.  The companies which survive in the market place long term are going to end up being those which not only can adapt with technology, but also assist customers willingly and effectively…yes, but that I mean with a smile and product knowledge.  It’s one thing to say “I don’t know.”  When asked a question, or like so many call center representatives, read from the little script or trouble shooting manual and basically ignore what the customer has asked.  It’s another to say “Let me get you in touch with someone who can better assist you than I can.” Or “I’m really not sure, but let me see if there’s someone who knows a little bit more about (insert product here) than I do.  They’d be better able to assist you.”  It’s better if someone admits to not knowing, but finds someone who does know than to read from a script, or over explain something…often times that something has been explained too many times and that can just make customers even more frustrated.  If you admit that you don’t know the answer, but tell a customer that you’re at least willing to get them to someone who does know the answer it’s just better in the long run. 

One of the big trends in customer service seems to be trying to lay the blame on the customer.  This way the company doesn’t have to take the heat for something it has done be it false advertising, poor product quality…etc.  How many times have we heard the question “How were you using…” or “If you had read the fine print…or looked on our website…”  Customers don’t want to hear that.  Chances are we’ve read the fine print and we’ve looked on your website and something there made us believe that your product was…something else, good, what we needed.  Well, you get the picture.  Yes, there is a certain amount of consumer responsibility, but a company should NEVER attempt to assign blame to its customers.  It saves time if the customer service representative actually apologizes.  “I’m sorry you’re having an issue with (insert product here) and I’m going to do my best with addressing your concerns, however if I’m not able to I may need to transfer you to (supervisor/other dept.) and they’ll be better able to assist you further.”  Own up to your company’s mistake and actually do what you’re being paid to do: help your customer.  You’re title isn’t “Blame assigner.” Or “Customer blamer.” It’s “Customer service representative.”  You represent your company’s quality of service to the customers.  If you’re not going to do the job properly, then why do it at all?  Quit so someone who actually wants to do the job can have it. 

As I stated before, I’m big on customer service and I’ve come up with a rating system for service.

A: Friendly, willing to assist, knowledgeable about the product/service, listens, comprehends, polite. 

B: Polite, willing to assist, listens, somewhat knowledgeable about product/service. 

C: Friendly and polite.

D: Lack of product knowledge, not willing to assist unless absolutely necessary, doesn’t seem to comprehend.

F: Unwillingness/refusal to assist, no comprehension, does not listen, not friendly, not polite, no knowledge of product/service. 

In a retail environment it’s tweaked a bit.

A: Greeted within 5-7 seconds of entering store, friendly, polite associates, willing to assist, knowledgeable of product/service, clean environment, products are easy to find. 

B: Greeted within 10 seconds of entering store, friendly associates, willing to help when needed/asked, somewhat knowledgeable about product/service, store may be a bit messy and items may be a bit less easy to find.

C: Greeted by person at register, associates will assist only if asked, items aren’t easy to find, store needs to be cleaned.

D: Person at register did not greet, unable to find associates, not very friendly, items are difficult to find, store is a mess.

F: Person at register seemed rude, did not greet or spoke to friends and ignored customer, associates unwilling to help or could not be found, items are difficult to find, store is a wreck, associates have no knowledge of the product/service.

I’ll start out each new blog addition with the rating/why that rating was given before I delve into details.  For anyone reading this, if you have a story good or bad about a company and its customer service E-mail it to me at EsmeraldaGilberte@gmail.com  it may end up in this blog.