Do you know the one factor that makes the difference in customer service?

No, it’s not ~

• the fastest delivery
• the best product
• or the best deal

All of those are great, but the difference is one elusive element.

The human touch.

Customer Service Made Simple

Think about it.

• Have you ever had an order delayed?
• Or a product break down?
• Or discovered a better price after you purchased your item?

What made your problem okay?

Chances are, it was customer service – of the human kind. One who validated your frustration. Who focused on making amends. Who showed you they cared about your business.

Is there anything more personal than how we are treated as human beings? It spills into our business and personal life.

I offered a simple communication tip at my business blog that makes a huge difference. It’s the human touch that recognizes us – acknowledgement.

• Acknowledge our concern
• Acknowledge our correspondence
• Acknowledge we actually exist

Acknowledge the human.

Customer Service Gone Bad

You know how some weeks it seems like every customer service encounter is a lesson in futility?

The following illustrates the difference the human touch makes in customer service.

Brick and Mortar Online Disaster

I’ll admit, I am a huge Amazon fan. They give customer service a much-needed boost.

I usually buy my books through Amazon; however, I do have membership to a bookstore that shall remain nameless. Let’s just say they do not need to look far to understand why they are struggling to survive.

• I attempted to sign on to my account
• I entered my username and password
• I received a blank screen with popup success across the top

I am really happy that there was a popup success, but getting signed on would be even more helpful.

I tried different browsers, cleared my cache and history, but always with the same result. Then I called customer service.

I had to Google their phone number because I could not find it anywhere on their site.

• I received an automated message
• It asked for my account number
• Then told me my account would automatically renew at the end of the month
• I paid it last month *sigh* when I called in because I couldn’t get signed on

When I finally reached a human, she at least confirmed my renewal. She could not help me with the online problem.

I was transferred to someone who would be happy to assist me. Long story, short – he couldn’t. He wanted to transfer me to the next level of assistance, but first he would need my billing address.

Why? Do you plan to charge for the next level?

At this point, I advised him this encounter was taking too long and I needed to get back to work. I went on Amazon and ordered my books.

Human Touch?

• Test your online sign-in in multiple browsers to ensure they work
• Have your customer service phone number clearly identified
• If you cannot fix the problem, offer to research it and call me back
• Then do it

Hello? Anyone There?

My other experiences were torn from the pages of my business. Once again, the lack of acknowledgement had me chasing down answers.

The following are examples where businesses can add that human touch for better customer service. Fortunately, these did not all happen to me this week, but I am sure you can relate to one or two.

• Recruiting professionals – I know you receive tons of applications. But, when you get to the point of interviewing someone or having several contacts with that person, don’t you think they deserve more than a canned rejection? Or worse – no notification of your final decision?
• Businesses seeking proposals – Formal, written proposals take a lot of time. Freelancers and big business alike are happy to do them. If you decide to go another route or delay your decision, a simple update acknowledges the efforts of those who sent you a proposal.
• Setting expectations – If you set an expectation for a delivery date that does not happen, notify us before that date passes. Most of us are reasonable people. We understand stuff happens. You will make us feel so much better about you if you offer a quick explanation and apology along with an expected date of delivery.

I have said it many time ~

Customer service is not that difficult

Use your automated tools, but always apply the human touch.

Validate that you care about your all-too-human customers.

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Live…Laugh…Love

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