find, keep and grow your customer

November 22, 2008

GrowthANSWERS on Customer Service: Empower Your Employees

Filed under: customer service, marketing strategy —

BY TODD SCHNICK - www.intrepid-llc.com

Don’t you hate it when you are given a task to complete, or a problem to solve – and you aren’t given the tools to do it?

We business owners expect our employees to serve admirably on the front lines of customer service every day.  But most of the time, it seems those same employees are told to serve with one arm tied behind their back.

My family uses Comcast.  Without going into much detail, we’ve been having some problems with our DVR unit.  And needless to say, when that happens, our world stops turning.

On a recent day when we had an appointment scheduled, we noticed a Comcast truck parked in the street.  We assumed that was our technician, but learned this fellow was actually scheduled to visit our neighbor next door.

We, of course, expected he would immediately come to us when he completed his visit next door.

Nope.

He said he wasn’t allowed – that we would have to wait for “our” technician.  When he tried to call his supervisor, he claimed he couldn’t get through.  Mind you, our appointment had been scheduled for DAYS.  This wasn’t a last minute emergency call.  So there was no excuse for this not to have been scheduled efficiently.

In the end, our technician showed up a few hours later, and our problem seems to have been solved.  But I will tell you this:  had the first technician been empowered to make a command decision in the field to help a very frustrated Comcast customer, he would have gone a long way to build up customer loyalty from me and my family.

Instead, I continue to gripe and whine about Comcast.  I might even write a blog about my experience.

Message to employers: empower your employees to solve customer problems WITHOUT having to jump through hoops – and you will go a long way towards building customer loyalty.

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3 Comments »

  1. […] Click here to read my post: http://www.growthanswers.com/blog/business-strategy/growthanswers-on-customer-service-empower-your-e… […]

    Pingback by Intrepid Marketing - Customer Service Is So Damn Simple… « The Intrepid Group, LLC — November 22, 2008 @ 12:07 pm

  2. I agree with everything in your post. As a small business owner and a customer service advocate, I often experience the decline of service when employees are left unarmed to handle certain situations. Even as I read this post, I am still in disbelief over my lunch. We go to a local Italian restaurant that has just recently been purchased by a new group. We have been going almost everyday for years and enjoy knowing the staff and are often welcomed like Norm on Cheers….. Being Philadelphia natives, one of us ordered a cheesesteak. After she brought out the cheesesteak we asked for ketchup. Funny thing, she brings out an almost empty bottle of ketchup that has been carefully turned over earlier to ensure that every last drop of ketchup is captured. Her comment was “we noticed that there is not ketchup early this morning so we turned it over to get what we can”….. I looked at her in disbelief as I gazed out the window at the local convenience store across the street…. How is it that this employee didn’t feel she could run across the street to get more ketchup for the lunch rush….. It goes to show you that employers have to do their best to educate and empower their staff. That one small minor action will be with me for awhile and I can’t stop telling folks about it…

    Comment by Kellie DAndrea — November 24, 2008 @ 2:36 pm

  3. Kellie - thanks for your comment! Sadly, there are countless examples like ours. We could blog for hours… While I am so pleased when I encounter an employee that goes above and beyond, isn’t it sad that this doesn’t happen very often?

    Comment by editorga — November 24, 2008 @ 7:23 pm

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