Customer satisfaction and customer service has been on my mind lately, primarily because I have experienced two situations first-hand recently in which two banks just didn’t get it! Last November, I had an unfortunate interaction with ScotiaBank, and just earlier this month I blogged about how an employee at the Royal Bank couldn’t grasp the big picture. Which got me musing about how customer service has changed significantly in just the last forty years, making it a moving target for those who aspire to exceptional levels. When it came time to pen my regular column for The Globe and Mail, I guess it’s not very surprising then that I ended up writing about customer service. My column in this morning’s edition challenges you to envision three progressive possibilities that will ensure that your organization is at a significant competitive advantage. You can read it here:
Artificial intelligence is the next revolution in customer service
Customer service has undergone at least two significant revolutions in the last forty years. First with the invention of the 1-800 toll-free number, and then with the pervasive use of email. Despite the significance of each of these two innovations, the underlying premise in customer service has always been to fix an issue identified by the buyer. But it is 2018, so it is time to finally change that paradigm! It’s time to fix the problem before your customer tells you about it. The technology to power this transformation exists; it is called artificial intelligence, or AI. And many companies have already harnessed its potential.
So, are you keeping up? Or are you the company that makes your customers wait for hours on the phone for an issue to be resolved, or days for a response to an email query? I would love to hear your perspectives on which organizations are ahead of the curve, and which are seriously far behind. Please share your thoughts by commenting below.
2 Comments
My company is VERY customer sensitive. Before an Appraisal is sent to the customer, it is reviewed and re-checked a minimum of 5 times by the writer, administrative professional, writer, President, and ADM again.
Once the report is sent out, If something needs to be addressed per the reviewer, the report is reviewed by the President using the telephone to communicate directly with the customer.
If the report needs editing, it is completed the same day and re-sent to the client.
We honor the deadlines of the customer and move mountains to make it happen for them.
Our Company has been in business 50 years, and is family owned.
Good to hear that your company is on the ball, Frances. Often, customer service really is the only competitive advantage!