No excuse for bad customer service

Over the past few months, we’re touched repeatedly on a most alarming and annoying trend. Advanced 21st Century technology is not resulting in enhanced customer service. In fact, in many cases, it is resulting in a lack of customer services. And unfortunately, the discussion of this trend is no longer limited to technology and business sources. Consumers are starting to rebel, and it’s time for us to address this as an industry.

This is not just the stuff of disgruntled technophobes. A recent story on National Public Radio chronicled a serious research study that showed that while corporations may be saving dollars short-term on call center products, they are causing serious damage to public relations:

https://discover.npr.org/features/feature.jhtml?wfId=903874

According to the story, “the study suggests that low pay, high turnover of workers and strict limits on how long a representative can be on the phone with a customer contribute to poor service.”

A major challenge facing companies today is customer loyalty and retention. And most companies are going in exactly the wrong direction by trying to save dollars on call center-based customer service instead of using the capabilities offered by convergence to increase the level of customer service with a next-generation call center.

It’s time to reverse that trend and move to the next-gen “contact center” for better service at the same price rather than inferior service at a lower price.