Customer Service Requires Communication

Imagine a romantic relationship without communication! How would one accomplish that feat? Impossible, you say? Relationships of all kinds require effective communication at multiple levels. That generalization includes business relationships between vendors and customers. 

Advanced Disposal, a Florida company, recently completed their acquisition of Southland Sanitation, gaining them a greater market presence here in the southeast. The customer service at the old company was lacking, and my first experience with the new company shows me that little has changed.

After a weather-related service interruption, I called the company to inquire about the pickup of recycled trash in our neighborhood. The automated operator directed me to press 0 for "customer service." As instructed, I patiently waited on hold, where finally I was connected to, you guessed it, a recorded message instructing me to leave a message. Reluctantly, I did so. After 24 hours and no response, I called again. This time, after a 6 minute wait on hold, I spoke with a representative who informed me that she would instruct their service coordinator to handle the issue later that day or first thing in the morning. 

You guessed it... 24 hours later - no service pickup. I called again, waited only 3 minutes on hold and spoke with a real person again. She informed me that there would be no recycled trash pickup that week after all and service would be resumed at the normal time next cycle. There was no apology, no caring at all in her attitude. I asked for the name and email of their general manager. Without answering me, she said "you need to speak with Steve" and promptly transferred me to his number where I was put into his voice mailbox. I reluctantly left a calm message asking for a return call. You guessed it... no response.

What is the point of all this? Customers want their voices heard. Customers want to know that their suppliers are listening to their concerns. Customers want to know that vendors are paying attention to their needs. Customers want their vendors to be "easy to do business with." What customers really want is to know that they are valued.

A terrific means to this end is effective communication. Ask questions, then listen closely. Discover their needs and wants. Stay in touch. Return their calls promptly. Let customers know that you are interested in them and that their business is valued. 

As a customer, it would have been nice to have been notified of the change of ownership and be properly introduced to the new company. They could have introduced themselves, their web site, their policies and discussed how they conduct business. They also could have been interested enough to welcome feedback and describe how best to communicate with them. An opportunity sorely missed.

Don't let poor customer service and a lack of response injure your relationships with your customer base. That is a costly sales mistake that few of us can afford.  

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...........................
Daniel Sitter
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Comments

[Carlotta Fields]

"What customers really want is to know that they are valued."

Absolutely! When I read this line my new bank popped into my mind. I'm new to the Fargo, ND area, and one of my first big problems was lining up a bank. I had a lot of questions (direct deposit, debit cards, stuff like that) and Jon Berg at
State Bank & Trust (the N. Broadway branch) helped me sort through everything! I know it sounds cheesy, but he really listened to what I wanted and worked hard to make sure that all of my services and accounts were what I wanted. The whole staff was wonderfully helpful and patient. I can't tell you how much I appreciate that! I really felt valued.

Daniel, a great article! Thanks!

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nice post, thank you very much

[Evan]

"A terrific means to this end is effective communication"

This statement hit the nail on the head! Communication is a key to success in the business world. A customer needs to feel comfortable doing business with the company to ensure that the customer returns. From the sounds of things, Advanced Disposal needs to train its employees to strengthen its customer service department. Poor communication is too common, therefore more businesses need to work on effective communication to increase customer retention.

Thanks for the interesting article!

[Jackie]

"Let customers know that you are interested in them and that their business is valued."

I recently had the misfortune of being made to feel the complete opposite to this when I visited my local camera store. Not only did the sales assistant not know the answers to the questions I was asking about my camera, (which was OK, although you would expect salespeople in a large electronic retail chain store to have some knowledge!) he was downright rude to me.

When I asked if there was another person who might be able to help me, he kind of waved his hand in a very dismissing fashion and said "You can ask someone else!"

What would have been so hard about him taking me to "someone else" and explaining that he couldn't help me, but maybe they could?

Customer Service, what customer service? This sort of attitude makes me really mad and I certainly won't be shopping in their stores anymore.

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[Phillip Eastwood]

Spot-on, Daniel! Your relationship with your customers is often like the romantic kind. You don't get what the other person wants by just feeling it or assuming things. You have to get him/her to talk! We all need to feel like we're valued, and one great way to do that is to let people speak their mind through hassle-free communication channels.

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I think the relationship is what makes the difference in the long run. Sure, you may have a great sales technique, but if your only intent is to sell it and move onto the next sale, no one is going to recommend you. Top bit of advice here.

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