Whether you like it or not, customer service rules the company because the power is with the consumer.
The consumer votes everyday to do business with you or someone else.
So the question is: Do they do business with you or with someone else?
Nine out of ten customers never complain.
They simply go away… quietly go away.
How would you feel about your company if, for every complaint you received, you multiplied it by ten? This is now made possible with internet rating systems, for it is easier than ever for one dissatisfied customer to taint the whole company.
Recently, I was tormented by slow internet speed. Time-Warner, my internet provider, put me through a series of gyrations – plugging this and unplugging that. They would reset something and test again. Each round of testing took twenty minutes.
Conversely, in checking out my cable modem, one call to Motorola and, within five minutes, we were able to isolate the problem to the internet service.
Go figure.
Internet, cable, and telephone providers have developed a horrible reputation: Confusing plans, surprise billing charges, long hold times. So I am sure this story is not a surprise. What bothers me the most is that, when combined, my digital communication service providers are my largest utility expense.
Digital communication deploys the latest technology… It is a competitive field… I have lots of choices. How come they all suck?
AT&T promotes fewer dropped calls than the competition.
Poor customer service rules. How can you compete as “not being as bad as the other guys”? This is like a political campaign for digital communications.
Competition at its lowest level. Who would have ever believed you can compete at this level?