Vanessa D
Director at Zee2A I Marketing Coach I Editor in chief at The Marketing Edge I Director at StreakWise
Excuses vs Solutions - The Customer Service Conundrum
Do you have an experience to share illustrating how service providers offer excuses rather than solutions? Why do you think that happens?
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For example:
We recently parted company with a long-term service provider, after much toing and froing lasting almost two years. The really sad part is they couldn't understand why we were unhappy enough to take our business elsewhere. Instead, they were at pains to enumerate all the things they had done in an attempt to solve our problem - even though none of the things they had done had addressed the problem!
When a customer raises a complaint a clock starts ticking. If the problem has not been resolved to their satisfaction when the second-hand reaches zero you are history.
You can't afford to try and resolve the issue! Always remember the wise words of one of the 20th Century's great philosophers, Yoda (should that be George Lucas?) who said 'Do, or do not. There is no try'
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I would love to hear your stories ;)
Good Answers (6)
Customer Service environments have been my livelihood (and my passion) for the last 20 years, so I cringe when I hear stories like those above where people are waiting in queue for eternity, receiving rude treatment, getting pushed around from one IVR to the next, and blatantly being faced with problem avoidance rather than problem resolution.
Customer service is not just something that you give because it's a necessary evil to support your customer base. It has to come from the core of the organization...it has to be woven in like the yarn of your favorite sweater. It's a culture all in itself.
I have found many reasons that the days of "Customer Service Excellence" are all but forgotten. Here are just a few.
1. The organization and Sr. Executive team are not customer centric. Revenue and lining personal pockets is so important, that they compromise the customer experiences for "Bigger.....better....faster....more".
2. The leadership teams have not yet learned how to balance quality with quantity, so quality sits on the back burner while they coach Customer Service Reps to to reduce their handle times.
3. CSR's are not empowered. Because they are not empowered to make decisions, they don't feel that they need to be the person accountable for mistakes and complaints...so the excuses start to fly. If you hire high performance people to begin with, and then empower them with appropriate business desions, they will take a sense of ownership and feel more compelled to resolve an issue than excuse one.
4. Trainers are not equipped with the right tools in the customer service toolboxes to train their employees to create customer experiences...not just customer service.
5. Generational considerations are not being given when it comes to complaint resolution. A twenty something CSR may be addressing an issue for a sixty something customer and when he doesn't get it in 20 seconds or under (which is how fast they would process it) they give up and end up frustrating the customer further.
6. Empathy has been forgotten.
7. As a society, have started to accept complacency.
I recently called to make a Dr. appointment for my husband. After waiting on hold for the appointment line for 25 minutes (I didn't know my toes could curl under that far), I hung up and called back. Thinking something may be wrong with their phone system, I politely confronted the person answering the phone. She said, "It's Monday...it's always like this. Get used to it." Once I started to breathe again, I asked if I could leave a message for call back. She said, "No...you have to wait in line with the other 50 people."
Needless to say, I have found a new provider and also wrote letters to each Dr. in the practice offering my consulting services to them.
Thanks.
AnnaLisa M
Freelance Writer/Editor & Writing Assistant
Best Answers in: Customer Service (1), Writing and Editing (1)
This is a good subject, one I have been pondering a lot lately. I even addressed it in the January 20 issue of my ezine. Most of my "stories" in the past year come from the same two companies. One, I have no choice but to keep because it's the only option available in my area. The other, I dropped cold after this last incident.
I was unable to find my question addressed in the FAQs on the Web site. Past experience has taught me that sending a service request e-mail would only net me further frustration, so I called the service hotline instead. I was routed through a long menu of options, none of which seemed to fit my question. Then I was put on hold. No exaggeration, my phone timed it--I remained on hold for seven minutes.
The rep who finally picked up told me I could not proceed any further without a credit card number. My name, PIN, account number, password, etc.--things that work from the Web site (assuming the Web site is functioning, which is another frequent problem) would not do--it had to be the credit card. I ran off and dug up my credit card...OK. I asked my question. The rep told me that wasn't his department. He transferred me, at which point I went back on hold for another five minutes.
The second rep took me through the credit card routine again, and I asked my question. The rep wanted to know why I called her because the other department should have answered. I told her the other department had transferred me, so what do I do? She put me on hold again (3 minutes) and came back with an answer this time...but unfortunately the answer was, we don't offer that service.
Before ending the call, the rep tried to pitch me an account upgrade. It's easy, she said...I already have your credit card number and only need your authorization!
Now that's nerve. And it's NOT "customer service."
Vanessa, I can appreciate your question.
Back in November I alerted my web host company about a problem with one of my accounts. I supplied the requisite paperwork to resolve the issue on my end with the promise by them that the issue would be resolved.
No less than five phone calls later, a lost account, and excuses galore, I ended up recovering the account two months later, but it cost me time and money. I'm still not satisfied with the way that they handled this problem and I am closing this account after a five year business relationship.
Worse, were the excuses and lack of customer support. There were times I felt insulted by their answers, never mind the canned answers I received for many of my problems.
The bad thing about this company is that I am telling everyone how dissatisfied I am with their product. I am sure they'll lose more business because of their customer nonsupport.
Bhupinder S
Operation Manager - Document Imaging Service at Kodak India Private Limited
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Excuses vs Solutions. However best an excuse is, it will still remain an excuse and not satisfy the customers right to get a solution. The irony of today's cost cutting competetion is that no one is allowed to build an infrastructure to support the customers, every penny goes into marketting and sales efforts. Upon this, there are chances of over committment to sell more. So, finally comes the role of Support staff to handle the customers problems. Really, the present situation is of firefighting and companies should understand the need to build the infrastructure to be proactive to serve the timely solutions to the customers everytime. They should understand that however best the firefighting operation is, it still leaves many damage marks which are difficult to erase/compensate for. Also, the classic case of using Service Providers, the principles should understand that they still are accountable/responsible for the after sales services to drive the repeat sales and so they should be really in the driver seat of all the activities of the service providers instead of allowing them the liberty of carrying out the service operation from A to Z. Its their brand name which sells and its their image which gets hurt when the customer does not get the desired/ committed solution.
Rod B
Project Consultant, Analyst, Writer
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Vanessa, part of your question was, "Why do you think that happens?"
Part of the answer to that question, I think, goes to the basic business model of the service provider. It is easy to illustrate in the case of a very small (micro) start-up, compared with a larger broad-market provider of the same basic service. The start-up model may rely upon word of mouth and customer referrals to grow the business, and this may work well up to a point. At some point, the company must leverage its reputation, that is, the company has to capitalize an expansion of its work force and delivery zone to keep growing, and this "lumpy" investment (bigger facilities, internal training, new layers of supervision/management, etc.) means borrowing based on past business performance, which was reputation-driven. It starts to get hard at this point.
The larger competitor may operate on a different business model, one that invests much more heavily in advertising and sales. To the extent that the big company relies upon advertising and a well managed sales process, they will have less incentive to invest in customer service--because their new customers do not come from referrals, they come from advertising/sales! Now, at some point in their target market, the big company may find that negative feedback, transmitted by word of mouth, is harming new sales. But in many situations, this intuitively plausible outcome does not occur. How, after all, does an unhappy customer communicate their bad experience to prospective new customers? In some business environments (hospitals, say, where there are only a few thousand in the entire country), that's a risk, but in others (snow removal services to residents in Chicago), it's tough for an dissatisfied customer to "get the word out" about Ace Snow Removal on a broad scale; ASR can continue to advertise on TV and the Trib.
Deb K
Small Business & Social Media Coach
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Hi Vanessa,
This will be long...I guess a story sometimes is!
My worst experience: I took an expensive gas trimmer (had it for 2 months and it busted) into a local shop for repair, the one required by the manufacturer - I had purchased this at a big box home improvement place, but was not allowed to take it back there for an exchange. (flag 1) The shop tagged it, said it would be ready in 2 weeks. I let 3 weeks go by, no phone call. I then call and they say (flag 3)"oh, it's next in line, it's not ready, but call in tomorrow, so you can come get it." I call the next day and it's still not ready. (flag 2 - me having to call, flag 3, it's not even ready) Next week, "we don't have the parts." (flag 4) Okay, so you get the idea.
After 2 months, I still don't have my trimmer. I call the manufacturer and proceed to throw the shop directly under the bus. The final straw? They said "we have other stuff to work on here, your machine is not a priority."
I ask for the manager of the shop and he is more rude than the other people that work there --this treatment is part of their company culture!
This small business amazed with their ignorance of the situation and had multiple opportunities to care for me, but chose instead to make me feel like I was a nuisance and a bother for wanting my machine repaired.
That said, I don't believe the clock starts ticking at the time of a complaint: it starts ticking the minute you begin a relationship with them. Like any relationship, they have an opportunity to knock your socks off with attentiveness and care or they have the opportunity to completely blow it and treat you like you're not special at all. Making excuses does nothing but this - they don't care.
Oh, happy ending though...my call to the manufacturer netted me a brand new (and even higher end) trimmer, plus I got to keep the other one...oddly enough, the shop called me the very next day and said mine was ready to pick up. Hmmmm.
Happy Regards,
Deb Kolaras
Links:
More Answers (15)
excuses are only for loser people
if you wanna be a confiable person you must get solutions to your clients, if you can't well... make the posible to find the answer make contacts or improve your knowleadge but never NEVER offer excusses because your credibility always is going to be judged...
it's my opinion
Costin-Sorin I
QA Senior Coordinator at Aluminum Foundry
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Worst experience I ever been in was with a very BIG European based company (no names here). One of our equipments lost the principal controllers. We called them (the equipoment was not anymor in warrantt - service or parts). They submit a quotation to repair the controller and one to replace it. We chose the 2nd version. They sent the replacement, But forgot the manual. We got the manual after 3 weeks. And then the saga was open. it took 3 months to get the controller working. You cannot believe the excuses we heard: X is now in place y and will be back in 1week and he's the only specialist in your problem. The A function is not routed correctly and Z (their specialist) is not available for another week. And so on and so forth. After that incident I imposed myself a rule: if the first thing I hear after a complaint is an excuse I cut any contacts whatsoever with the company in question (after gettint the complaint resolved o/c).
Clarification added February 20, 2008:
sorry for the typos....I was in a hurry...
Marc I
Entertainment/Media Strategist
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Well, as a customer of many companies, I realize two things are true:
1. Customer service is absolutely terrible these days
2. It's 10x more expensive to service your customers than to gain new ones.
Most of my experiences are about rude customers service (e.g., trying to frustrate me), but some are just customer service being apathetic. They try to make you understand why it's not their fault or I should have known better, etc.
Basically, customer service is a joke these days and any company that can improve theris with minimal investment will get a lot more revenue out of it.
Lynn S
IdentityTherapy & AikiSolutions
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IMHO, there are only explanations (not excuses) for how (not why) the solutions was not delivered, but neither explanation or excuses are a substitute for delivering the solution.
Gerry M
PMO Reporting Manager/Consultant at Bank of America via Carlisle-Gallagher Consulting
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Customer Service is well on it's way to becoming an oxymoron, joining the ranks of Military Intelligence and Jumbo Shrimp.
My wife and I spend endless hours waiting on hold, working through faulty call-tree menus to get to a real person who may or may not be helpful in helping us solve our issue. We generally have to ask for a supervisor, and ask that person "Going forward, does your company want the money, or should we seek out one of your competitors to do business with?".
For most consumer services, the company with the best customer service wins. As my wife is fond of saying, the first six letters in customer is custom.
John D
Using the power of communications to develop client relationships
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Hello Vanessa,
Over the years I have come to the conclusion that most people just want a customer service rep to acknowledge that the "ball was dropped" and to validate the customer's right to be mad about it. If you can't do that, then in my opinion, you don't belong in customer service.
The problem I've encountered, especially with big multi-national companies is the bouncing from one service rep, to another, to another... none with the authority or the accountability to truly resolve the issue.
Companies who just give "lip service" to customer service are missing the boat and deserve to loose all the customers they are mis-handling.
John
jennifer j. J
The PR Savant, Johnson& Company, The Virtual Agency(TM)
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A fortune-cookie message I opened the other day (btw, get on my good side, all--I send out chocolate-covered f.c.'s for Chinese New Year!!!) read:
Do not ruin an apology with an excuse.
...
Do not ruin an apology with an excluse (in italics, this time!)
At eight words, a nice "tagline" for a customer service organization.
In my industry, publlic relations/marketing, quite often, agencies attempt to defend the great job they have done on behalf of a client by parading mounds of paper (or streams of data), showing all of the jotty, day-to-day "things" they have done on behalf of the client.
As you say, it is a "their side" of the story, without concern for the client.
Here's to Happy "4706," folks. (No, that is not a customer service department transaction #, but the Year of the Rat--2008!)
jjj
jjj@joandco.com
Jennifer J. Johnson
Miccilina P
Writer/Author/Poet; Educator with Marketing/PR , Editing, Copy/Ad, Non-Profit & Cust Svc Experience.
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Venessa! Great Question, I have had a similar experience in a couple of areas. Phone Company and ISP. If you are lucky enough to live in an area where there is more than one option or choice, it is better, competition drives the quality. In some cases, such as ISP's, threateining to move to another provider gets results, I did this and ended up getting free service for 2 months and continued lower rate fro the rest of another year. I am still with this provider.
Good Customer Service starts with good work ethics in the company and a personal touch with the clients. Outsourcing of phone centers to other countries has caused MAJOR customer complaints and this is the reason why ALL of their employees are given an American sounding name to use when you call them, LOL, But we cannot stop this trend, it is happening more and more. The only good strategy is to IMMEDIATELY request a supervisor, Don't even stop to talk to the one who answers the phone. You will avoid ALOT of excuses that way. Micci
I have a Samsung BlackJack. I bought it when I lived in South Africa. It is not even a year old and the sim card reader no longer reads sim cards.
Call Samsung USA. They have only excuses and not ways to assist.
As far as I am concerned, Samsung is a global brand and therefore should be a global company instead of an isolated "USA only" phones mentality. This kind of excuses will lead Samsung to fail in the long run.
Venkatram K
Practical polymath
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This is why all you guys must outsource your IT and engg design problems to me...money back with a pre-arranged penalty clause
Nigel D
European Market Entry and Business Development for North American and European High Tech companies
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The usual story is 'I cannot help because that's our procedure or I cannot refer you to a manager because they don't take calls'. The call centre has got completely cut off from the front end business and so commercial management have divorced themselves from the concept of customer service.
It's a hugely dangerous game that is back firing. I have zero patience with any company that cannot connect you with your account manager or the people responsible for selling you the product. If they are no longer interested once you place the order and the back end staff have no idea why you bought the service you are always going to get a mismatch in expectations no matter what the tape recording actually says. I think offshore call centres and outsourcing generally has contributed to a massive degeneration in the concept of the 'customer is king' and that service either matters or is a differentiator in business.
Links:
SAUMITRA Y
Executive (Logistics) at Gujarat Guardian Ltd . Having background of Sales & Marketing.
Best Answers in: Customer Service (1), Labor Relations (1), Career Management (1)
Hi Vanessa,
An organization is nothing but the amalgamation of different kind of people at all levels. Every persons is different in his or her approach towards doing or executing the job. However they all are working under the same umbrella.Most of the time you will find that it's only a few persons in the organization who are responsible for the failure in executing the job, but the whole organization has to suffer the losses. What kind of these people are,
one they are very high headed, highly intelligent, very ambitious people , second they are surrounded by like minded supporters who approve of there act.Because they are highly intelligent & supremely confidant about themselves, they start feeling that they can never make mistakes. when any customer complains come which is directly relates to there actions, they will not accept it, instead they will try to find out other reason for the complain. From here the cat & mouse game starts. These people will never accept the reality because it hurts there mountain like ego . In every organization you will find people like this & they are the major source of embarrassment.
The second reason is the lack of communication between different departments within the organization.What right hand is doing the left hand does not know.
I have a interesting story to tell. I had a cellphone connection from a leading mobile phone service provider. It was a pre paid one. The service provider became the network supplier to our organization & they offered Special discounted services to every employee & it was a post paid one. I accepted the offer.They promised my number will remain same. After some time a person from the mobile service provider phoned me & asked me for my tax return paper & identification paper's. When i told them i am already a customer of the company why should i submit the paper when already i have done it. The gentleman said the prepaid services is looked after by other person & he has no information about it. What a perfect example of lack of communication between the department of the same company. Some how i got the problem solved. After that i wanted to make a call, but i was not able to make it, when i telephoned the customer service department, they told me that they will make a call to me about there different services which they are providing only then i will be able to make a call. What a total mess, somehow my strong message of canceling the services promptly solve the problem.
Ultimately it is either a mountain like ego of some employees or the total lack of communication between the departments which results in not accepting the customer complain.
Thanks & with regard
Saumitra
Dear Vanessa,
I think Deb is right - the issue starts earlier - and managing expectations is a great help.
I seem to remember the old expression is 'underpromise and over deliver' - that way you need less excuses and less apologies.
As regards examples, gonig through one at the moment with bedroom furniture - sorry, no details, can feel the blood pressure going up already!
Hope that helps
Regards
Neil
I actually watched a documentary on this a while ago. As long as the customer service rep can help the customer within a specified period of time, even if the issue is not resolved, they will keep their job.
It's all about money!
Thanks,
Richard Rinyai
www.theprofessionalassistant.net
Doug H
Colorado Territory Manager at Charter School Management Corporation, Inc.
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I think that customer service representatives are in a tough spot. I don't know your specific example, but sometimes situations cannot be resolved except in ways that are just too expensive. So, it is better to lose a client in some situations than try to satisfy a client.
I understand your reference to "Do or do not. There is no try." In most cases, I agree. On the other hand, there are some situations where I'd rather an organization tried to meet my need and failed rather than just gave up.
I guess the closest situation I was in was buying a car on ebay that had a "slight engine noise." I got the car cheap so I figured I could afford to fix something like that. When I got there, the noise was far from slight and the dealer wouldn't budge. I'd be glad to share his name if you live in the Boulder, CO area so that you don't buy from him. He kept saying that he wanted to make me happy. I took a chance, and was willing to deal with the consequences, but then when I took the car to my mechanic (after him telling me that his mechanics had inspected the card), he found a broken part that was allowing oil to simply leak out of the engine. I did get some concessions from the dealer, but not what I asked for, I still ended up OK, but definitely not with a great deal (as the dealer kept telling me I got).
