If you own a computer or your home is connected to the internet there is a very good chance that you have experienced bad customer service. Often, you can be on hold with the call center of a computer manufacturer or an internet service provider for more than 30 minutes, and boy…you’re business seems really important to them doesn’t it.

Of course, there are several other industries and companies that offer bad customer service’s, it’s not just the computer and ISP industries that offer poor customer service. Airlines are another culprit. How often have you seen those ads on TV were the passengers are stretched out in comfort and being waited on hand and foot by the stewards? It’s obvious that these are set in studios and not on actual planes, as there’s no glimpse of the customer next to you leaning on your arm, or the kid at the back of you practising his karate on the back of your chair.

Bad Customer Service is Rife!

Now, it’s unfair of me to focus on just these industries for bad customer service, as poor customer service is rife in all industries. It makes the failure of customer service ever worse as promises are always made and not delivered. It becomes so frustrating when our expectations of customer service by major organisations are raised, and when it comes to the punch, nothing has been done to improve it. The gap between company promises and what they actually deliver is becoming wider and wider.

Whether its delivering goods or supporting a mobile workforce, FedEx is a service business. In the majority of cases FedEx has an excellent reputation when it comes to providing a service. However, that does not mean there isn’t a gap in the service promised and the service delivered by some of the workforce.

Understanding were the problem lies with your customer service is an easy process. All you have to do to find out how you’re performing is to ask your customers. They won’t be shy in offering you their opinion on your services and attitude. Resolving the issues put forward by the customers is also relatively straight forward, but most businesses fail to effectively target and fix potential issues with their customer service.

Why do Businesses Fail to Improve Customer Service?

The majority of larger organisations such as computer manufacturers, airlines, and ISP’s are all businesses that disappoint us when it comes to customer service. In fact they probably believe that talking about improving customer service is simply achieving that. Just saying sorry, it won’t happen again, or we promise to improve things in the future, are statements of intent from these companies and they believe that this is all that needs to be done.

What managers and chief executives at these companies fail to accomplish is objectivity. They don’t stand back and take a look at their services from a neutral point of view. They are not on hold for an hour for support, or imprisoned in a seat on a 737. They are not experiencing the shortcomings first hand, they only hear about them.

When your company fails to deliver good customer service, instead of apologising intently, ask your customer how you can improve your services next time around, ask them were they expect you to improve. You should then use your experience and knowledge and implement what your customer has suggested right away, so that you can prevent this failure next time round.

It’s going to be a lot harder talking then just talking about your customer service promises, but it will be well worth it in the long run and more satisfying for everyone involved.

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