Customer is the king and his/her satisfaction is the ultimate barometer of success in business. This is what preached in all modern management classes and highlighted in advertisements.
However, the ground reality is far from this. To start with, many customer service numbers are not toll free, which means if you have a complaint or seek a simple clarification, you must first pay for it without any guarantee of getting your query resolved. Then, in the name of better customer service, many businesses use technology to a fault. Your call is answered by an automatic recorded voice, which mechanically and mercilessly guides you through an unending series of options and choices, except how to reach a human being. If you are lucky to get this option, then either the recorded voice (All our agents are busy….) would play havoc with your ears or inform you that you cannot leave any message as the mailbox of the service agent is full. If you are really lucky to talk to a human at last, you may be asked to call another number in another department. Calling a customer service number can be highly frustrating.
I wonder how many business executives use their own customer service numbers and conduct routine checks on their efficiency. Recently, I came across the following quote on the walls of a business house:
“It costs six times more to attract a new customer than it does to keep an old one.
Seven out of 10 complaining customers will do business with you again if you resolve the complaint in their favour.
If you resolve a complaint on the spot, 95 per cent will do business again. Of those customers who quit, 68 per cent do so because of an attitude of indifference by the company or a specific individual. In summary, Customer Satisfaction = Success”
Anyone listening?
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