Are You "Fixing" The Customer, Too?

Most people look at Customer Service as a one dimension activity. Take a problem and resolve it. End of story, case closed. But in fact, Customer Service is much more than just fixing a problem. It is also about keeping problems from getting created in the first place and also identifying potential opportunities and road blocks. All these segments are vitally important in Customer Service.

Let me ask you something right now. If we resolve a problem but not the cause, are we really accomplishing anything? If we allow the root cause of something to remain intact, are we really providing the best to our customers? The answer, of course, is a resounding "NO!"

The reality of doing business today is that it is critical that we strive to reduce potential causes of problems as well as the problems themselves. Place yourself in the position of the customer. If you experienced a problem and the business responded well and addressed the issue, would you be pleased? Most of the time your customers would be appreciative about the outcome. But if you experienced the same problem again, or a third or fourth time, would you still feel the same way? Most likely not. Your would probably be a lot less understanding and a lot more angry or frustrated.

The fact is, most major problems are caused by the failure to address the root causes while those problems are in their infancy. If you take the time to find out the cause for such problems, you can address those issues and eliminate the problem before it gets out of hand. It is better to spend a little money up front than wait until the problem gets out of hand and the cost to resolve it is much higher and the potential damage to your reputation becomes a major burden.

The damage to the reputation of a business is almost always far greater than the cost of the problem. It can take years to build a reputation of selling quality products and services but only a few moments to destroy that same reputation. In business we not only have to deal with reality, but we also have to deal with perception. In many cases, it is much more difficult to alter perception than it is to change the reality of a situation. While that is not fair, it is the reality.

That is why it is critical to respond not only to the problem but to the customer as well. Take careful steps to "repair or fix" the customer as well as the problem. Take steps to make sure you make the customer feel appreciated and that their needs are being addressed. This is especially true when it comes to Service Technicians. When equipments of all types needs service, people are inconvenienced and this must be addressed with the customer.

Whenever problems arise, or equipment breaks down, two things come into play. The first is the feeling between the customer and the business itself and the second is the feeling of the customer and their equipment. To move forward in the best way possible, it is critical that we address both issues and not just one or the other. To be successful, we must take steps to make sure the customer remains positive in their feeling towards your business and that the customer still regards their equipment in a positive lite. Since both issues are interconnected, failure to address both is the leading reason why customers shop elsewhere or purchase different goods in the future.

Two of our most common publications, Customer Service for Service Technicians and Service Recovery both address the steps required to resolve issues between the customer and their equipment as well as the relationship between the dealer and the customer. Both of these manuals are part of our 6 manual special offer so you can not only get the information you need but can also save some hard earned money at the same time!

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