DOES YOUR BUSINESS REALLY CARE ABOUT CUSTOMER SERVICE?

Although America led the world in Customer Service, it sometimes appears that this has become a second or even third priority.

On a recent phone call I was unable to get through to a Customer Service Agent for a considerable amount of time, although a reassuring voice would come on at intervals to say, and I quote, “Your call is very important, please stay on the line   and an operator will be with you shortly”

 However, over a 6 month period there was no change…..the same message…..the same lengthy wait time to reach a Customer Service Agent. Hmmmm, now I’m actually starting to think they don’t think this call is very important. In fact this call is so unimportant to them that they intentionally keep it understaffed!

Jim Collins recent change management book  “How the Might Fall” http://www.jimcollins.com/books.html  referred to this phrase of a company decline as hubris born of success, when companies become so arrogant regarding their success as an entitlement.

I’m pretty sure this strategy also affects the company’s morale and motivation.

Since responsiveness is the new path to growth, then motivation is the heart, and that means having the appropriate number of resources to ensure a level of service that suggests that Customer Service matters. Change management can help in this process by measuring the level of service provided, and determining the correct level of resources needed to meet a given service level. The difficult Change Management part is to convince the Management to spend the money!