Setting the Bar for Customer Service?

meburke asks: "Computer repair, copier repair, customer support: It seems to be mostly done the same way for the last 40 years. That is: 'Something breaks, call the repair guy.' But customers expect more, and they can't tell us what they expect, so where do we develop guidelines for customer service and how do we improve? I've searched the net for three days now, and I haven't found a comprehensive list of actions or standards that distinguish the excellent tech from the average tech. Can anyone point me toward some sources?" It seems that as our technology becomes more complex, the service that is offered to customers continues to fall shorter of the mark. What kind of service do you expect from your vendors, and how close is reality to your expectations? As an aside, shooflot wonders: "If the definition of 'news' includes 'rarity' then good service must be news. My usual experience includes the kind of sulky and dismissive attitude I got from an Apple rep when my new iPod wouldn't charge (I eventually got him to exchange it). However, I was recently surprised by Rogers, my cellphone provider, when I followed up on some charges for ringtones I'd never downloaded. The service rep not only cancelled the charges but discovered I'd been wrongly charged an extra air time fee for the whole last year and credited me for the entire amount plus tax! What great service stories does Slashdot wish to share which (I hope!) may inspire all those other reps in the trenches?"

Comments

In IT

[TykeClone]

Good customer service is doing what you said you'd do when you said that you would do it for what you said you would charge.

That sets the bar pretty low and is kind of a sad commentary on the state of IT customer service.

Human Behavior Defies Classification

[hbo]

Although "technical support" may seem to be about technology, it's really about people and their behavior under stress. Having filled dozens of support roles in 20 years as a systems guy, I can tell you that the greatest factors in my success have been patience and humor. What book do you go to to learn those things?

Service vs Replaceability

[NetSettler]

As we pressure companies for cheaper and cheaper everything, we squeeze out the dollars they need to do support, and they outsource it--to us.

Do I want companies to offer good quality and stand by their work? Sure. Do I expect it? Ha. It's bad enough that I generally just hope the price point is low enough that when it breaks I can afford a new one rather than talk to some unhelpful jerk on the phone.

Look at what's happened to watch repair shops. No one repairs watches any more, they just replace them. Same with shoe repair. Heck, in some regions of the company, away from big cities, it's hard to find contractors to repair houses because the people who know how to do the relevant work find it both easier and more lucrative just to build new ones. Other "technology" will probably follow suit, if it hasn't already.

Re:Service vs Replaceability

[Skynyrd]

Heck, in some regions of the company, away from big cities, it's hard to find contractors to repair houses because the people who know how to do the relevant work find it both easier and more lucrative just to build new ones.

Although I live in a big city, I think I have a relevant comment on the house repair issue.

I recently shut down a handman service I was running for the past five years - because of the customers (mostly).

Why? People don't want to pay for quality service and work. People would complain about my prices (25-35 an hour) by saying that the day laborers in the Home Depot parking lot are cheaper.

Yes, you can get one cheaper, however (at least in LA) they:
1) Don't have tools
2) Don't generally speak English
3) May claim skills they don't have
4) Don't have transportation
5) Can't be found again if there's a problem

So, you can pay $10-$15 for a guy you can't communicate with, who you have to pick up and return *and* buy/rent tools for them.

So for about twice the price, you get a card with my name and phone number (and I answer it). I drive to the job. I can pick up things at Home Depot on the way. I bring tools to the job (and the cost of the tools is usually more then the cost of the job). I speak fluent English and passible Spanish. I'll tell you if part of the job isn't in my skill set.

And people still ask for big (25%) discounts.

Sometimes good customer service simply costs "too much" for some people.

Re:Can't find all the answers in a book

[hbo]

Books can give you ideas. Kindness and tolerance come from life experience. I can be convinced that tolerance is a good idea, and vow that I will be tolerant in all my actions. But the real test come when some #!%& clueless user starts to blame me for their stupid mistakes.

Oops. 8)

Wrong approach

[gunner800]

There is no master list of steps. It couldn't be flexible enough to allow excellence. Here's my vague, hand-wavy suggestions:

1: Do a little more than the support contract says you have to. If it's a serious problem, call the customer a couple days after fixing it to see if it's still fixed.

2: Have your support people educated. Flowcharts and checklists for solving common problems are fine, but don't let anybody answer your phone who doesn't understand the product.

3: Don't use your support system as a sales channel. Solve the customer's problem without fobbing more product on them.

4: Don't put a mediocre support person on first-tier phone support because it's "easier" than the levels for more complex problems. First tier interacts with almost everybody who calls in, it's an important job, get somebody good at it.

5: If a support person in the field calls the home office, the office guy drops everything and deals with it. Make sure you support people know this is an option.

6: If possible, have your field support people familiar not just with your products but with your customers' processes. This helps communication. It's a nice perk when your customers are rather homogenous, but probably doesn't matter for something like photocopier repairs.

BicycleRepairman!

[Doug Merritt]

I haven't found a comprehensive list of actions or standards that distinguish the excellent tech from the average tech. Can anyone point me toward some sources?

The obvious example of excellent tech support to follow is...BicycleRepairman! Quoted from a bicycle web site:

My favorite Monty Python skit is one called "Bicycle Repairman." In the skit, we see superman walking down the street in his splendid costume. Then he stops to catch a bus, but surprizingly, the bus driver is a superman too, in an identical costume. Then, when he turns to walk back to his seat, we discover everyone else on the bus is a superman too. We go on into town, and there we find that every person in every store is a superman.

Then we see a superman riding his bicycle, but it begins to wobble badly, and then he crashes. The bicycle needs repaired, but superman doesn't know how. Then the call goes out for Bicycle Repairman. Everywhere, supermen are frantically searching for the hero.

In a crowded laundromat, a group of supermen are waiting for their costumes to wash, when another superman announces the emergency. One of the supermen looks around to see if anyone is watching him, and then he disappears into a dark recess, where he turns into Bicycle Repairman, with his brown coveralls and tool chest.

All the supermen are excited to see him, and he goes and repairs the bicycle. The message of the skit is, of course, that all of us can play an important role; we don't have to be superman. We can play some other essential role, such as Bicycle Repairman instead!

Re:I've always had excellent service at Apple Stor

[Insipid Trunculance]

I told that kid, "Fuck off, moron,"

So you counter ignorance with rudeness and wonder why Customer Service is piss poor?