"Dots Obsession" by Yayoi Kusama at Parc La Villette in Paris
“It used to be price… now it’s all about customer service.” So said an Irish small business owner to me yesterday. He was a web developer. He’s now an entrepreneur – developing a new business venture to sit alongside his established company. He’s based in Mallow, Co Cork, Ireland.
Customer service – I thought we cracked that in the 1980s. Tom Peters & Robert Waterman wrote “In Search of Excellence“, British Airways did “A Day in the Life” – the whole business world seemed to be on to customer care and total quality management. Even Bill Cullen got into “Penny Apples“.
But what’s happened? Have we consumers got an good enough deal? Are we in love with our suppliers? Do you think a corner has been turned & service is now as good as we need it to be.
Of course not. Customer service is still lousy. It’s usually a disaster. Awefully bad. Most customer service is an insult to customers. At best it’s OK, it’ll do. But I’m obsessed with customer service & think most companies are stupid about it.
I could be diplomatic. I could mince my words. I could be careful & play the long game. But I’ve had enough. Customer service is so generally woeful, it’s time to shout STOP.
All the theories, systems, magic haven’t worked. All the initiatives designed by consultants have failed to bring lasting change. It’s as if
“A lesson has to be repeated until it’s learned.”
For example:
a restaurant in Cork city gave me dreadful service – so bad it took back my pizza & gave me another. It didn’t charge me for the pizza. It thought it was giving OK customer service by not charging me. It wasted my time, spoiled my time out with family, I was itching to get home. What a stupid thing to not charge me! The situation was such that I’d decided I was never coming back: they needed to give everyone at the table a free meal + at least a voucher for another free meal – in order to get me to come back. They needed to think big to repair the damage to their custom and reputation. Instead they got petty – a bloody refund. An insult.
This is typical of the small-minded thinking most business has about customer service.
If this was sex it would be a damp squib.
What do you think we should do about it? Do you think I’m over the top? Are you satisfied with the service you’re getting?
