Do consumers really feel as if they come first?

We all know that running a business is not just about providing a needed product or service. In fact the more successful companies recognize the importance of making their customers feel as if they are in fact the most important aspect of the company.

How do consumers really feel while shopping?

The Reality

I have been very concerned for a number of years now that the environment in which some companies create is a highly toxic one.

The lack of customer service goes beyond just surly customer representatives who display a distinctive lack of interest in ensuring that customers are given assistance and encompasses the feeling that we are not that important to them.

It has almost begun to feel as if companies feel that they are doing us as consumers a favour by taking our money and giving us a service.

After all if we leave others will come so why bother to convince us to use their service?

Lack of care

I have noticed a deeply embedded lack of care at the management level as well especially toward their non commercial clientele.

The lack of care is noticed when management is informed about long delays and inefficient aspects to their service and do not respond in a courteous manner nor do they seem to display any urgency in remedying the situation.

Ever since the road works on Constant Spring road began, my home phone worked sporadically.

Since I reported that at times there was no dial tone and therefore I could not make any calls for several weeks I expected that at some point there would be a representative from the company who would come and check my service.  However weeks passed and no one came.

After deciding that I would just have to put up with the inconvenience, imagine my surprise when the bill for the service I no longer recieved promptly arrived. My conversations with a customer representative was not informative so I decided to visit the head office.

Hours Wasted

Consumers should feel as if they are important. Well after waiting at the head office in a line for almost two hours, I certainly felt as if I was not important.

The system seems designed to frustrate consumers more than assist them if they are reporting an issue. I feel that more efficiency would ensure that consumers feel that their business is valued.

Priceless

Consumer loyalty is a definite factor in making your business thrive. So if you offer a service or product one way to stand out is to offer customers a great experience. If the customer has to go through too much red tape to report a problem then that is one customer less for your business.

There isn’t a price tag attached to good customer service but there is a hidden benefit that companies receive when they put things in place to give consumers a feeling of value.  Instead of driving away customers by making them feel unimportant, a good customer experience equals to a profitable business.

What’s your take? Let me hear from you!

Teri Ann Renee Paisley

Gleaner online writer

Tags: business, customer service, services