Time to Be Nice To Customers: Answer the Phone

[Moderator]

Talkback is an interactive feature allowing you to post your reaction and opinion to the Observations-on-Operations article, Time to Be Nice To Customers: Answer the Phone found here.

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Summary:

"We are all in it together" according to the latest published research. There is an overall decline in the Speed of Answer from 1999 compared to 2003. Why? At a time when there are more professional call center training programs, improved technology to support answering the phone faster and increased call center and customer knowledge at our finger tips. A contradiction that needs to be explored and we have an opinion, of course. Read our opinion and then take the opportunity to provide your own.
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Your turn. Post your reaction or opinion by clicking on the Post Reply button.

[dlexmond]

I believe that CRM has played a role. We have become better at picking out the 'valued customers' who get priority treatment. The 80 / 20 rule applies: 20 % of the customers provide 80 % of the profits so we take good care of them. A relatively small percentage of the remaining 80 % are marginally profitable, and a large chunk of customers actually create a drag on the bottom line, so these folks get progressively worse service.

When you then average the 20 % who get really good service and the remainder who get poor service the overall result is a deterioration in overall service level.

The question seems to be whether a company that sells products to the consumer has an obligation to provide (acceptable) service regardless, or only if the company perceives a benefit to that service.

[Cee Seven]

I agree that all customers should be serviced equally on the front end.

Whether it is the profitable 20% or the percentage which "creates a drag on the bottom line" that calls in for service, they both should get exceptional service on that initial contact.

What this does is ensure the quality of service the company provides and secures a lasting positive relationship which enables us to access a greater share of wallet from our customers. Regardless of who they may be.

The industry focus is to acquire new inititives to generate greater revenue and what better way than on that initial call in to solicit a customer.

The obligation to our customers begins in the business goals and those goals should dictate exceptional service towards our employees as well as our customers.

Eliminating negative experiences for our customer should be our objective. Customers who offer very little of an opportunity for profit will be considered a "low opportunity customer" and the CRM should identify them as such and not systematically offer products of service which will not benefit them or the business.

[Joseph Benoit]

If you look at how calls are now handled, they are more complex. Long gone are the days of simply getting your problem solved. Now customers are offered every product that they don't already own, contact information is verified, etc... And I totaly agree with these measures. Gone also are the days of overstaffing your center and then just sending people home if its slow. Well run call centers now try to forecast better. Which means a leaner staff. As soon as there is a spike in call volume, ASA suffers.

As far as better clients getting treated better, I see nothing wrong with that. As long as "non profitable" clients don't get treated bad. If bring in my 80k imported car for service at the dealer, I expect him to either A)give me a replacement until the work is done, or B)drive me to my office. These expectations can't be there if you bring in a '73 Pinto for a new wiper blade.

Joe

[Steve Turton]

I tend to agree with the 80/20 rule.... and they way Joe has put it.

I attended a few "BenchMarking/Process Improvement" meetings with several, large corporations in attendance. I thought my company was probably the only one there that followed the 80/20 rule towards treating customers.....BUT SURPRIZE..... everyone of them did too. Not just most of them......all of them!!!

The 20% who supplied 80% of the business were treated royally. The middle group was treated well, but not as well as the first group..... and the customers who only occasionally placed an order were usually just directed to a general order desk and any follow-up was through mail campaigns or a couple of telemarketing type calls per year.

The main focus was keeping that 20% happy..... because someone else was always trying to steal them away.

Steve