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It is a sad fact that customer service in the age of online shopping has suffered. The sheer number of customers that a company is exposed to on a daily basis simply gives a company the opportunity to ignore the consumer and still survive. At least in the early stages of this behavior. Another fact of this so-called customer flood is that these customers have more of an opportunity to talk about the service they received with one another. So although a company can get by forgetting that the customer is number 1 for a little while, it will eventually come back to bite them in the ass.
The extreme downfall of any company that feels they can get away with making a quick buck and then ignore the needs of their consumer is that the consumer they ignore will make it their life's mission to erase that company from the online landscape. OK well, maybe that is a bit extreme. Obviously one customer does not have that much power.. but almost close to it. With the way that the Internet gives the little guy a voice that reaches millions, one wronging of a single customer can end up really hurting a business and their bottom line. The only question that remains at this point is will the company be big enough or have enough of a market share to endure the hailstorm that ensues.
In many ways a large number of companies do. Companies like Hewlet Packard, and PayPal, although their customer service fails in almost every way possible they have not been terribly hurt by the onslaught of complaints resulting from this poor service. The reason for it is because of damage control. They have given themselves a presence in that same online world that complains about them. Companies such as Paypal who was created from the online world, fortunately have their finger on that online pulse. So when their customer service angers consumers they have a community that exists almost solely to fix the problem. This almost came about by accident, but it ended up being the best mistake they could have made.
Community forums to the rescue
Many companies today have started community forums in an effort to endear themselves to the public. In effect what they end up actually doing is creating a community of the same consumers that use the service they provide. By doing this they have a large group of like minded people. Now you would think that this makes for a bad situation. But what this really does is give the company free tech support. Whenever something goes wrong with a product or service the company provides, this same community comes to the rescue.
All someone has to do is make a post on the forums asking for help, and other come running to offer their solutions. This works out great for the company because they have an instant support staff. A great bunch of people that will exist to discuss their product and help others who need answers about the product. Talk about instant hype marketing.
There is a con to all of this instant adulation. That is, if one strong minded individual or a group of like-minded people on those forums come into a bad experience with that service or product they have an instant voice and a bunch of customers ready to listen. So the same aspect of the forums that makes the company happy can turn on the company like a bad gremlin. So how do you fix this problem? That is easy, and the companies have learned the answer almost as soon as they enacted the forums.. moderators.
Moderators, a company cheerleader.
When a forum moderator does their job correctly they can be a very positive force in a forum. And the community knows this. However, there are many cases where the moderators were basically a team of company censors. If there is any post that is too negative, paints too bad a picture of the company or something the company has done, or someone basically opens up a storm of like-minded individuals who all start spouting out about how they truly feel... the moderator steps in and starts deleting those posts. This happens quite often and more than some forum operators care to admit.
This sometimes ends up backfiring on the community and the company that runs such a community forum. If the forum has a community that is large and does a great job of staying up to date on what is posted and what is going on within the forum, then the censorship does nothing but drive a wedge between the consumers and the company. This can and has had a negative affect on company product/service sales. However, if the forum does not have a bunch of members that stay up on what is said within the forum. Or they have members that are relatively new or come and go, then chances are that most will not even notice the censorship. In a case such as this, the censorship has a good effect because what it does is keep the negativity away from the new members. It prevents the members from seeing the truth about how the company treats it's consumers and what the company ultimately thinks about it's customers. This will insure that the new contingent of members remain positive about the company. This is what the censorship has set out to do in the first place. So it comes down to what type of forum membership you have.
Is there any service left in Customer Service?
In today's world there is nothing that we are just given anymore. It is a foregone conclusion to think that we would actually get to be treated as if we mattered when we purchase something from somewhere. I will say however that some of this is not due to the company not caring, but actually not paying enough attention.
In some situations the economy and the lack of people wanting lower paying jobs leaves unskilled workers in most of the point of sale positions. Yes, that's right. Even with the poor economy there are many people that still will not drop their pride to take a job at a counter somewhere. So we, the consumer, are stuck conversing and doing business with the un-experienced teenager, or the crabby housewife, or worse yet... the person who did tuck their tale between their legs to take such a job, or at least that is how they see it. And let me tall you, they are the worst.
Point is, when you are at the point of sale, you should be treated with respect. Sure, in the mind of the marketer you have already made you mind up on the product. You have already "been sold", so not too much "praise" need be paid to you and the company does not have to do much to keep you. At this point, their goal is to just not lose you. Simple right? Well, you would think so.. but because of the person who is manning these positions that sometimes does happen. This should be an easy fix though. A bit of training in the right places and problem solved. But companies are not paying attention to this problem. Because of that, it goes unchecked and remains. So it just gets added to the rest of the issues we as consumers face. When it all starts to pile up is when people generally feel that they just have to say something because it has gotten to be way too much! I suggest it happen sooner. Take it into your own hands at the point of deciding whether or not to purchase. Bring it back to making the company earn your business again.
Taking back the power of the consumer.
Does anyone really know what it means when people say, "the customer is always right."? From what I see everyday, I doubt it. It does not mean that literally the customer is always right, because they are not. There are a great many instances where the customer mis-understands the policies and regulations that a retailer will put out there for a sale or special offer. But time and time again, consumers make assumptions about what the offer should be. And when they do, they argue that point until they run out of breath, and then they argue it some more. What is the retailer to do at this point? In some cases they just agree with the customer (even though they are wrong). And in yet others, they will try to calmly explain the rules that are clearly printed in plain English in big letters right on top of the product, but usually to no avail.
We need to be smarter consumers. If we want to be treated as such and really not be taken advantage of, then when we do argue some point, we have to be right. Too many times have I seen a consumer arguing a point that they were clearly wrong on. Then you have the complete opposite of this, and for this I give you... the medical industry.
The medical industry has it easy. Somewhere down the line, the arrogance of what a doctor is was built in to the perception of what they really are. Sure they fix our ailments and suggest treatments for certain illness or injury. But what almost everybody forgets when they are talking to a doctor about their care is that they are the customer! Yes, that's right. In the doctor - patient relationship, you are the customer and the doctor is the retailer. Think about it, do you not pay them for providing a service?
The problem with this industry is the power that we have given them. When people tell you that you should take back the power in your medical care, they are not joking. I have taken the approach with doctors where I dictate my care. Sure, why not. I decide, based on their suggestions based in medical knowledge, what my care should be. And why shouldn't I? After all, I know what is best for my body. And as do you about yours. Too many times has a doctor tried to act as if they knew what was best for me. They know what is best based on statistics, and they're opinion. Take for example an antibiotic. Some doctors do not want to prescribe them for whatever reason. But if my kid has a sinus infection I don't want them to suffer through it for a week of agony and being uncomfortable when I can ask the doctor to prescribe an antibiotic to clear it up in a couple days. The medication is there, it's available, and it is made to handle precisely that situation. So if the doctor does not automatically suggest it, I do. And I do not let them tell me no either. It is much the same with a retailer - consumer relationship. Think about it.
In the end, it is up to us. We are responsible.
With all of the specials, offers, and new ways to bring home all those wonderful new toys out there is it any wonder that we end up putting ourselves in bad scenarios? In the end, we must be responsible for our own shopping decisions. Don't let yourself be taken advantage of and don't continue to give money to a company that does not make you feel wanted. You must stand your ground as well. Do not let poor customer service deter you from asking for what you deserve and what you paid for. When I had recently had an issue with one of my products, I did not stop until I got what I felt I deserved. It took me nearly a month of back and forth, but it worked.
You must realize that when you give money to someone for something that you enter into an unwritten agreement. You agree to give up so much money for a product or service that they claim will do or perform a certain task or do a certain thing to something else. Whatever that is, it must do what the retailer claims it will do. If it does not, then someone is not holding up their end of the agreement, and it is not you. You paid the money they asked for. So until you get what you paid for, continue asking that party for it. Do not stop until you get exactly what you should have had in the first place. And in some cases, you might even deserve a bit more for having been put out of your way. But that depends on the situation, not everything will deserve a bit extra.
You must use your best judgement and do your research. Email is great if it works. So many companies today put it out there to make it seem like they care, but all you get is a scripted response that shows you nobody has read your complaint. When I get these I go off even more. Because right there you know the company is not giving you any respect. It is at this point that you should demand that as well. Remember, you deserve to get what you have paid for and if you do not, make sure you do. After all... you did what the company asked you to do.. not they must hold up their end of the bargain.
See more writing as well as the authors website with more interesting information at Diverse By Design
