80% of big companies contacted in a recent poll described themselves as providing “superior” customer service. When customers themselves were asked the same question, however, their assessment was quite a bit harsher: a total of 8% of companies received “superior” customer service ratings.
These statistics come from James Surowiecki, who writes the financial page in The New Yorker. Despite the supposed emphasis on customer service that CEOs and business leaders love to tout, the vast, vast majority of these efforts have failed, at least according to the people who should know best.
Surowiecki spends the bulk of this particular column investigating why this service, vital to every business, so often falls by the wayside. Beyond the obvious hesitation some companies may feel in devoting precious resources to a division that doesn’t directly lead to increased sales or new business, he identifies a key peculiarity in the very nature of customer service efficiency, differentiating it from most other branches of a company:
In some areas, the push for efficiency can be a boon—the shift toward just-in-time production has helped transform American manufacturing by making it leaner and more efficient. But this approach isn’t well suited to solving customers’ problems. Modern businesses do best at improving their performance when they can use scalable technologies that increase efficiency and drive down cost. But customer service isn’t scalable in the same way; it tends to require lots of time and one-on-one attention.
Surowiecki is undeniably correct in identifying these challenges as unique in customer service: there’re no shortcuts to keep customers happy. But there is a way to make these processes more efficient. With an Ifbyphone Hosted IVR you can easily automate many of the services–tracking orders, confirming appointments, dialing reminders–that were formerly handled by employees. And with Ifbyphone’s Call Routing you can route calls by geographic location, by caller ID, by sales rep availability, and by schedule, ensuring the most efficient usage of your customer service resources.
Here at Ifbyphone, we use our own technology to put customers in touch with dedicated account managers and/or our Customer Success Team as quickly as possible. The result? Testimonials like these from our customers:
“Ifbyphone is just absolutely amazing. They provide free customer service and tech support and they are really gracious about it. They get back in touch with you within a few hours or within the next day, if it’s over a weekend. They’re excellent.”
-Chase Shuster, Applied Dealer Solutions
“I have never worked with more helpful customer service reps than Ifbyphone’s employees.”
-Sheila Styron, President, Guide Dog Users
“I can’t thank you enough for how much time you took to walk myself and tons of other people in my company through all that you can do, and how to do it. I look forward to a long relationship with your company!”
-Lauri Blake, Durasol Awnings
What do you look for in a customer service department? What do you hope to achieve in your company’s customer service efforts?
