Computer customer service
‘The credit card system is down. Our database is down. We’ve
been having problems with our system. It’s the system. We don’t have any
control over that.’ It is
beginning to sound like a conspiracy thriller in which one computer network is
controlling all retail. The last few months I’ve been having customer service
issues in which the employee I’m interacting with blames the problem on “the
system”.
One
dealt with annoying computer generated reminder calls. I went to the physical
store only to be told they cannot interact with “the system” locally. I’d have
to call a help center to correct the problem.
A
second was a similar situation in which calls were made to announce the
availability of a multiple item order for pick up. Upon arriving at the store I
was told that only some of the items were in. Not the entire order. When I
explained the call I received, guess what the answer was?, “The system is
automated and we can’t interact with or change it.”
Add to these examples all the other
now forgotten times when there is a problem with an account and the customer
service rep blames it on “the system”.
Does automation equal poor customer service?
Are computers and the systems they support becoming an
excuse for poor service? Something the employee can pass on to the customer as
to why there is a problem? It shouldn’t be. Employees may not be intentionally
using the excuse to pacify customers. It may be lack of information, poor
training, or the culture of the company. The problem is exacerbated when
customers also interact with the system and no one on the front lines can help.
After several interactions with broken or ill performing
systems I’m beginning to learn that the front line person either doesn’t care or
doesn’t have the access or training to handle the complaint. However, the
employee on the front lines is the face of the company. They may not be
empowered to resolve the problem, but they are the person trusted by the
employer to deal with customers. They are “the company” from the perspective of
the customer. As far as a disgruntled customer is concerned the employee is the
CEO, CFO, COO, the chief of everything. Customers who own a business or are in
the customer service industry understand the necessity of quality customer
experience. When they are on the other side of the counter, they want the
problem fixed now or at least some definitive answer as to when and how the
problem will be fixed. To shrug and say, “I’m sorry, but there’s nothing that
can be done. It’s how the system is set up”, does not send the customer off in
a good mood. Nor are they likely to say anything good about the interaction,
either in a conversation or online. Which is probably where the frustration
will be vented.
A “system” being down affects the commerce of the company.
Especially in the short attention span that is now our culture. If someone
visits a site and can’t perform the function they’re attempting, they quickly
move on to a competitor that can get the job done. Companies cannot afford to
have malfunctioning computer systems.
Empower employees
Decision makers need to monitor their operations systems. Be
aware of those that are aging or malfunctioning. Educate employees up and down
the hierarchy to ensure everyone knows the capabilities and weaknesses. Get
feedback from the employees that have to execute the plan and use the system to
interact with customers AS the system is being developed. Get their buy in
before implementation. Seek out feedback from employees after launch to find
bugs and problems in the process so that they can be quickly addressed.
Please feel free to share any posts. See the blog archive for
other posts regarding customer service.
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