Customer service experience: lessons to learn from post-sales support
During the past two weeks I have had to contact three companies with service complaints or questions. The experiences that I had were vastly different from eachother and suggest that whilst some firms have a long way to go to deal with customers effectively after the sale is complete.
This article summarises those experiences and aims to draw lessons that could be applied. At the end there's a further summary that draws out the three key strategic decisions that these experiences imply firms should be considering.
This article summarises those experiences and aims to draw lessons that could be applied. At the end there's a further summary that draws out the three key strategic decisions that these experiences imply firms should be considering.
Amazon Kindle - smooth, efficient and customer-centric.
Enquiry: 3 months after buying a Kindle the unit developed lines across the screen.
Experience: Amazon's Kindle support site had clear instructions for contacting them about this issue. A call back button was provided, with Amazon calling me. Within 20 minutes of starting of seeking support I'd received an eMail confirming a new unit was on its way, which was received 3 days later.
Outcome: A replacement unit received without any significant effort on my part.
Amazon appears to have got this entirely right and joined up. Issues with the Kindle screen developing lines have been popping up for some considerable time and Amazon's approach has been to provide clear return instructions on their website, convenient contact methods and not to quibble over units damaged during warranty. Communication was excellent and they did what they promised - sent me a replacement unit and the means to return the damaged one to them.
Experience: Amazon's Kindle support site had clear instructions for contacting them about this issue. A call back button was provided, with Amazon calling me. Within 20 minutes of starting of seeking support I'd received an eMail confirming a new unit was on its way, which was received 3 days later.
Outcome: A replacement unit received without any significant effort on my part.
Amazon appears to have got this entirely right and joined up. Issues with the Kindle screen developing lines have been popping up for some considerable time and Amazon's approach has been to provide clear return instructions on their website, convenient contact methods and not to quibble over units damaged during warranty. Communication was excellent and they did what they promised - sent me a replacement unit and the means to return the damaged one to them.
Kwik-Fit - deafening silence.
Enquiry: My car was twice returned to me with wheel alignment incorrectly completed and the vehicle dangerous to drive.
Experience: Due to the severity of the complaint their on-site contact form was used with the "complaint" option set. Five days later the only interaction with them has been an auto-response eMail and a two Tweets, one of which informed me my eMail had been read and they'd reply in due course.
Outcome: None at time of writing (5 days after the complaint was made).
Kwik-Fit's response suggests the firm hasn't yet recognised the impact complaints can have and how they can quickly spill onto social media. In spite of having "complaints" as an option, the auto-response message is generic and doesn't acknowledge the complaint. The delay in receiving any meaningful contact has made it that much more difficult for them to recover their position and turn a calamity into an opportunity. Furthermore, whilst engaging in open discussion about the complaint on Twitter would not be appropriate, the bland messages that came through did little to quell or address concerns.
Experience: Due to the severity of the complaint their on-site contact form was used with the "complaint" option set. Five days later the only interaction with them has been an auto-response eMail and a two Tweets, one of which informed me my eMail had been read and they'd reply in due course.
Outcome: None at time of writing (5 days after the complaint was made).
Kwik-Fit's response suggests the firm hasn't yet recognised the impact complaints can have and how they can quickly spill onto social media. In spite of having "complaints" as an option, the auto-response message is generic and doesn't acknowledge the complaint. The delay in receiving any meaningful contact has made it that much more difficult for them to recover their position and turn a calamity into an opportunity. Furthermore, whilst engaging in open discussion about the complaint on Twitter would not be appropriate, the bland messages that came through did little to quell or address concerns.
Virgin Media (Broadband) - breaking through their contact barriers.
Enquiry: Whether there were upload limits.
Experience: There was no direct contact with a service desk and their "virtual assistant" appeared to be linked into a general FAQ. Support was provided via a forum where the query about upload limits was posted and a reply about download limits received. In all it took 2 days to get a fairly simple question answered.
Outcome: I rang the sales line and managed to get my question answered.
Virgin appears to be behind the curve when it comes to using technology to interact with customers, surprising for a technology company. The slow pace of contact that unfolds over several hours or days (query, incorrect answer, another round of query, another incorrect answer) makes getting answers a painful and drawn out process that devalues the relationship with every step. It may also redirect effort to more expensive channels if the customer (as I did) starts trying to break out of the defined service channel.
Experience: There was no direct contact with a service desk and their "virtual assistant" appeared to be linked into a general FAQ. Support was provided via a forum where the query about upload limits was posted and a reply about download limits received. In all it took 2 days to get a fairly simple question answered.
Outcome: I rang the sales line and managed to get my question answered.
Virgin appears to be behind the curve when it comes to using technology to interact with customers, surprising for a technology company. The slow pace of contact that unfolds over several hours or days (query, incorrect answer, another round of query, another incorrect answer) makes getting answers a painful and drawn out process that devalues the relationship with every step. It may also redirect effort to more expensive channels if the customer (as I did) starts trying to break out of the defined service channel.
Strategic Decisions.
Firms have more information than ever about how their products perform and where their customers have difficulty with them. A relatively common problem with Kindles has been detected and directly addressed by Amazon through information on their site and a specific link into their customer service processes. Businesses must decide how they are doing to search for these kinds of opportunities and what changes need to be made to support processes to make the customer's experience as painless as possible.
Social Media is a broadcast medium in that the messages that are displayed and exchanged are visible to a broad community rather than between two parties. This demands that Twitter feeds and Facebook pages are integrated into the customer's support experience, not left outside it for "marketing" to manage in the hope they can limit PR damage. The key decision here is how this integration should take place and where it should sit in the organisation.
It has long been understood that the more customer questions can be answered online the more complex and subtle those that need human interaction become. Smooth, effective lines of communication are essential - whether they are by phone, eMail or online chat. Quite simply, firms must determine how to provide one-on-one contact in a cost effective way.
Post sales service is an opportunity for firms to show how much they care about their customers. Based on experience over the past fortnight some firms are working hard to make it as painless as possible for customers to get help, others have made positive steps but need to go further and yet more are in disarray. Make sure your firm one of the former by actively making customer service a central part of your strategic decision making.
Social Media is a broadcast medium in that the messages that are displayed and exchanged are visible to a broad community rather than between two parties. This demands that Twitter feeds and Facebook pages are integrated into the customer's support experience, not left outside it for "marketing" to manage in the hope they can limit PR damage. The key decision here is how this integration should take place and where it should sit in the organisation.
It has long been understood that the more customer questions can be answered online the more complex and subtle those that need human interaction become. Smooth, effective lines of communication are essential - whether they are by phone, eMail or online chat. Quite simply, firms must determine how to provide one-on-one contact in a cost effective way.
Post sales service is an opportunity for firms to show how much they care about their customers. Based on experience over the past fortnight some firms are working hard to make it as painless as possible for customers to get help, others have made positive steps but need to go further and yet more are in disarray. Make sure your firm one of the former by actively making customer service a central part of your strategic decision making.
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