Now, I'm a pretty calm, 'let's see what we can do with this', kind of man. However, after spending 6 hours in telephone calls and queuing systems over the past couple of days, I can honestly say I have experienced some of the most extreme highs and lows of customer service skills imaginable.
As a communications coach, I work with people and teams in businesses wanting to improve the way they interact with each other and their customers.
By far, the best service has been whilst communicating with hotels and airlines in the US. They usually answer a call within a couple of minutes, including routing it to the right person. Once connected, they are courteous, attentive, and empathetic, trying to fix the issue or help find another person that can.
This is excellent customer care when it's most needed.
Compare this to the 2 UK travel companies and the insurance company I've also been attempting to speak with. The quickest queuing time was 45 minutes, only to be disconnected by the operator half way through my first sentence to explain the reason for my call. Other waiting times have been 55 minutes and 75 minutes - all at national 10p per minutes rates!
Once connected, I've heard comments such as:
- 'There's nothing I can do'
- 'It's not my department'
- 'I can't help you'
- 'I know, it's terrible - so what do you expect me to do about it?'
THIS IS TERRIBLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
UK companies - if any of you are reading this please take note, this is bad customer service. It doesn't have to be like this. Some companies invest in the best staff, and in training their staff to provide excellent service, especially when it's needed by the customer.
What have your experiences been of customer service skills during the Christmas travel period?
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