Is Time Really Money: The Lost Art of Customer Service

            The art of customer service has changed since the advancement of technology.  People are led to follow computer prompts to resolve their issues or utilize website to submit complaints and ask questions.  What has this done to our society?  Many individuals would like to have that personal conversation because they want to be heard or vent about their issue.  Well, the only way that takes place is when a live person answers the phone.  Working in the customer service industry has allowed me to understand several aspects to technology in corporate America and time being money. 

The first, technology has turned us into the “microwave” society, the “I want it now” society.  There is a problem with that….there is something called process and time.  There are processes and procedures, in which a customer service representative must follow that is established by the corporation to ensure your issue is resolved.  Do we always agree with these processes and procedures? No. However, they are in place to establish smooth operation of the corporation.    

The second, corporation establish agreements with the surrounding communities to have your calls answered within a specific amount of time.  How and why is this agreement established?  The establishment of this agreement is based on the fact that there are additional resources individuals will utilize to have their issues resolves, such as the corporate website.  Therefore, allowing customers to rely on self-help options, eliminating the amount of calls coming into a call center to be handled by call center representatives to resolve issues. 

The third, is time really money? With the push for production, call center representatives must answer you calls and resolve your issue within a specific amount of time.  If this time is not met within the guidelines of the corporation, the corporation receives fines.  Now you may ask why? Well…this is what you asked for.  Society has asked for faster service and corporations have complied with your request.  However, the more calls answered within a specific amount of time, the more money the corporation spends.  Yes, spends.  It cost corporations for a customer to call into their operation for resolution of issues.  There is the cost of the automated system to operate, the representative that answers your call, the computer system utilized, the building utilized, the technician that may have to come to your home and this is just a fraction of the individuals behind the scenes to ensure whatever service you have or receive is optimal. 

My final thoughts conclude there are customer service representatives working in this industry who want to provide you with exceptional services.  Their conflict arises due to the demands of corporation to answer the calls effectively and efficiently, along with the human factor of having feelings and wanting to ensure that the customers’ issues are resolve.  Human beings think and thinking is not a part of the customer service process.  That is why you find yourself talking to customer service representative overseas that follow a scrip and have no concern about you venting, spending 10 minutes explaining your problem, or repeating yourself 10 times. 

Therefore Society, my question to you remains…Is time really money?  Do you want to receive that great customer service of the past or are you willing to except the changes technology has brought to you in the area of customer service?  If the answer is no to any of these questions, then I advise to rethink and analyze the demands you have made on corporate America to have your service problems answered and resolved right now in the snap of a finger.  Yes, you do pay for a service and expect it to work or receive a quality product. However, the faster you receive the less quality you receive. Quantity does not equal quality in customer service.

 

 

 

 

Customer Service vs. Being a Good Customer

                I have always heard the statement “It takes a special person to be in customer service”.  This statement is a fact.  In order to become that special person, that individual has to exercise the capability of good listening skills and patience. Good listening skills include the abilities to listen to the issue, utilize the tools given to them by the company to resolve the issue, and follow the companies’ process and policies for resolution of the issue.  Being patient includes the ability to effectively take the time to listen to your issue and possibly walk you through resolution of your issue.

                People become upset with when their services or product purchased is incorrect or not working to their standards.  It is understandable that the general public wants the services they are paying for to work correctly.  Companies that provide any type of service, fail due to issues with their service.  As a customer, it is your right to become upset or disappointed in the failure of the services.  However, it is not your right to abuse the individual on the other end of the phone when you call to complain about the failure of the service. 

                Customer service representatives are trained in the companies’ processes and policies to assist you as a customer to resolve your issue. You may not agree with the processes or policies implemented by the company, however, you must respect and accept them.  Having a bad attitude is not going to make the company change its’ process or procedure just to satisfy you as an individual or resolve your issue any faster, neither is screaming, cursing, or threatening the individual.  In fact, it makes the customer service representatives job even hard to resolve your issue because you have just attacked that individual verbally, which is not warranted. Customer service reps are the front liners that get the ball rolling to resolving your issues.

                Have you ever heard the phrase, “you will attract more bees with honey than vinegar”?  This is another true statement.  Taking the time to calm yourself before speaking with a customer service representative is a great practice. You must understand that this individual speaks with hundreds of people on a daily basis, listening and resolving issues.  Your particular issue is not unique to the customer service rep, although they must approach it as a unique issue.  When you as a customer, call the company to complain about your services not working, it is already apparent to the customer service rep there is an issue, otherwise you would not call.  Taking your anger out on that individual is absolutely wrong!  The customer service rep has not done anything to you personally.  Whatever issues you may have prior to calling a company, let them go.  The customer service rep is not your personal sounding board.  Therefore, customer service reps have a tendency to shut down and perform what is called “empty listening”.  This is hearing and understanding what you are stating without actually effectively listening to you. 

                We as humans naturally what to solve and resolve whatever is wrong with another person; this is the human nature side to a person.  For women, it is the nurturing side to them.  The side to them that makes the compassionate; however, this can become destroyed in the mistreatment and verbal abuse they receive from the general public.  How would you feel if you had to listen to the general public screaming at you for 8 hours a day?  Some people would respond, “It is their job”.  Well, no it is not their job to listen to someone screaming at them, it is their job to resolve the issue.  Some people would also state, “It comes with the territory of the employment”.  Wrong again.  What comes with the territory is helping fix the issue.  What comes with the territory is following the companies’ processes and policies. 

                Being a good customer involves being able to communicate the issue, listen effectively to the customer service rep without cutting them off, and allowing them to resolve the issue.  How can you receive the information being given, if you cut the customer service rep off from their statement they are making to inform you of what needs to be done to get your issue resolved quickly? How can you receive quality service, if you’re not open to resolution of your own issue?  How can you resolve your issue, if you are taking your own personal issues out on the customer service rep?  You can’t. 

                You may complain about the customer service you receive is horrible.  Well, think about your interaction with that person.  Think about how you treated that individual on the other end of the phone.  Think about your attitude when you called the company.  Many customer service reps can and have the ability to defuse a customer.  However, being sarcastic, constantly complaining about the service received, or even threatening to leave the company doesn’t get you anywhere any faster.  For some people believe if they scream or threaten to leave a company, they will receive better service.  In fact, that is incorrect. For every person that leaves, there are 2-3 customers that come to that company. 

Therefore, your experience of great customer service begins with you.  The customer service reps add to your experience, whether good or bad.  So general public, before you call a company to complain about your services: 1) take the time to evaluate the issue and know whether or not you are angry with the service or something else in your life; 2) take a deep breath and calm yourself; 3)remember the customer service rep on the other end of the phone is a person just like you; 4) treat the customer service rep the way you would want to be treated; and last but not least , 5) unfortunately, the phrase “the customer is always right” no longer exists.  If companies continued to operate by that standard, they would be out of business.

Some of you reading this will agree some will disagree; however, my overall reason for writing this is to remind you to treat people the way you want to be treated, exercise patience, and utilize effective listening skills.

 

For You Are My Mother

Before I came into this world as your baby girl

I watched you from the staircase in the Heavens above

From a child yourself to a grown woman you become

I chose you to be my mother

Then here I came

Your life has not been a crystal stair or a bed of roses with a fancy flair

You were not born with a silver spoon in your mouth or wealth that one could count

But what makes you the best

Is that you past the test

Loving me with all your heart

Giving me strength, unbroken and hard as a rock

Teaching me life lessons from the heart I will never forget

Giving me knowledge an untouchable force field set from the start

For you are my mother, your love unspeakable

Giving me your all unconditionally

From you I came, I am the image of you

Full of love, Kindness and generosity passed down from the spirit of you

Your pain and sorrow I wish I could wash away from you

I love you dearly as a daughter can do

For you are my mother

I am the image of you

Happy Birthday Mom

1/04/2012

From Your Daughter

Mimi Lateefah

Introduction to Who You Are...

When someone ask the question, who are you?  How do you answer?  Do you answer, my name is _____? Your name is what you are called to identify who your physical being is.  Do you answer I am male/female? This is your gender, your physical body structure and mental processing.

When someone ask you, who are you?  Do you answer, I am a mother, father, sister, brother, aunt, uncle, grandmother, grandfather, niece, nephew?  This is not who you are.  This is your title for your position within the family unit.

Do you answer who you are with: I am an engineer, teacher, mechanic, or an athlete?  This is not who you are, this is your employment title, where you perform the duties and responsibilities under this title to become paid and earn a days’ work.  Which I would hope many people are following their passions to earn income and their work would not feel like work.

When someone ask you, who are you?  Do you respond: I am fat, skinny, tall, short, or I have long hair, short hair, no hair?  Again, this is your physical make up. Not who you are.

Who are you? Do you answer: I am a child, adolescent, teenager, young man, young woman, adult, or elderly? This is not who you are.  This is your position within your life cycle.  In which you should be happy and joyful at whatever stage of your life you are in.

Do you know who you are?

Do you know yourself worth?

Do you know the value of knowing who you are?

Do you know you are not what other people think you are?

Do you know what makes you happy?

Do you know your purpose?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you are on your way to a wonderful self discovery.  Defining yourself is not based on material possession (cars, homes, etc.) or by how much money you have.  Material possessions can be destroyed and regained.  Just look at the destruction natural disasters cause. So holding on to material possessions is not worth your life.

Defining who you are is not about the clothing you wear or the hairstyle you have this week. Knowing who you are dives deeper than $100 Nike's or $500 shoes.  Knowing who you are is being able to stand in front of the mirror in absolutely nothing and liking what you see.

Defining and understanding yourself is a journey for you and you alone.  No one can tell you what path to take or which way you should go.  The path of your journey is laid out for you.  You just have to ask the question to the one who created you…GOD, the source of all life and creation.  No one can walk with you on this journey to yourself discovery. This is a journey for you and GOD alone.  GOD is the only one who can guide you to yourself discovery. You just have to trust and Love GOD and know who you are. 

I wish you happy traveling on your journey to yourself discovery. Once you arrive there, it is a wonderful thing to know who you are and no one can take that away from you. Welcome to yourself discovery.