It doesn’t matter if I’m at a restaurant, a big box store, a mom and pop shop, or even — as of this weekend— a Christmas tree lot. I’ve noticed that lately, with few exceptions, no matter what I’m doing, buying, or whom I’m calling, the customer service I receive is pretty bad. Like embarrassingly has-this-person-ever-interacted-with-another-human-being-before terrible.
Even worse, in almost every scenario, I’ve accurately anticipated said abysmal customer service. While I may have been slightly off on the exact flavor of dreadful the interaction took, in most instances my pessimistic expectation of how the experience was going to go was usually spot on that something annoying, irritating, or exasperating was going to occur.
Each time I walk up to a store associate, I expect that the person I interact with won’t have a clue how to help me. I foresee that a representative will make up an answer just to get rid of me. When I approach two associates at a checkout counter, I know that nine times out of 10, that the pair will appear endlessly inconvenienced that I’ve happened upon a stimulating conversation that they “can’t even.”
What is going on? We live in a world where it’s never been more important to have remarkably good customer service, where our world has shrunk beyond recognition, where everything customers want is a click away. And yet, when I go into a store, I’m surprised if I speak with someone who can point me in the general direction of what I need, let alone know what to do with it if I ask a question about it.
On the rare occasion that I come across someone who cares, someone who is helpful, someone who is an expert, I want to hug her/him (and ask if there is any way possible to get his/her schedule sent to me via a weekly push notification. And the funny thing is that usually the person I’m swooning over is simply doing their job well, doing what should be expected. But the bar is so low these days that it feels exceptional.
So if crappy service is the new standard and what once was standard service is the new exceptional, think about how much actual extraordinary customer service and customer care can elevate you.
Do you want to stand out (and who doesn’t)? Be the expert that is missing in so many areas of business today. Understand the products you offer; bring unexpected ideas, and stay on top of trends. Learn all you can about your customers, their difficulties, their expectations. Care about them and how you can help them.
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They’ll notice the difference, and they’ll remember it. They will look for ways to work with you. With you, they’ll know you will have their best interest in mind. They won’t want to take the chance of rolling the dice and trying their luck with someone else when they know they have a good thing with you.
Amazon and Zappos and Target aren’t where they are today because of price and convenience. While those certainly get them bonus points, they wouldn’t have same clout if their customer service didn’t live up to their reputation. Good customer service is deeply rooted in everything they do — from user experience to delivery of goods to complaint resolution.
As our industry continues to shift, caring about our clients’ reputations and being attentive, helpful, empathetic, and considerate is going to be what sets people and brands apart.
Be the person you wish you could buy from and be a force in continuing to raise the standards of customer service — in our industry and beyond.
Aubrey Collins is the director of marketing and communications at MediaTree, a supplier of branded digital entertainment cards. She fell in love with the promotional products industry in 2011 at her first PPAI Expo. She shares her perspective on everything from the industry, what parenting continues to teach her about business, to what marketing campaigns make her cry on her blog. Connect with her on Twitter or email her atacollins@mediatreegroup.com.