Which Way for Customer Service?

“Customer Service.” For most people these two words generate images of the department we finally reach after getting past the automated voice prompts of our credit card, cable or phone companies. The customer service representative will answer the call with a monotone voice, un-phased by any urgency in your voice and you will most likely be put on hold at least once during the call. This is not to say that all customer service departments are like this, but I am pretty confident with my own experiences not to hold my breath for anything stellar. So what’s the problem? Why is it challenging to get the customer service we all want: quick, courteous, efficient, knowledgeable and (to make us truly happy) caring? I can’t say that I know the answer. What I will say is that there is a lot to be said about a company that puts customer service as a priority above all else, and mean it. This means not only being all the things mentioned, but actually being proactive to call you! How often have you been called as a customer by your service provider just to see how you were doing, if you were happy and if there was anything else that you needed? How often has it been the same person that called, that recollected a prior conversation and made a point to mention it if relevant? You will come to find that not many people are used to this and some are even hesitant and may even be a bit put off to get a call like this for fear of some kind of hidden sales trap. I find this sad. As a Customer Care Operations manager at Saratech, my job focuses entirely on making sure our customers are happy. And this means that every day I call and receive calls from our customers. There is no automated machine, but someone they can speak to right away. When I place calls, it may take a few attempts for them to truly understand why I’m reaching out, but soon they understand that we do care and we are invested in helping them any way we can. I am certain many companies of a certain size may argue that it is just not feasible to have that much manpower, but it is Saratech’s belief that anything is possible if you truly put your customers first. I applaud this attitude and I know Saratech will remain a company of integrity with this mindset. Too bad there aren’t others who are as clued in.

Labels: customer care operations, customer service, service departments