improving customer service

Emails Go Missing

I ordered a product
months ago
directly from
a company’s website.

On this website,
under my account,
I can see what I ordered
and the price I paid.

But I can’t see
if it has shipped.

When I emailed the company,
the customer service rep
told me I’d receive an email
when it shipped.

Email isn’t a 100% reliable
form of communications.
Messages go missing.
Or aren’t sent.

If you don’t want customers
contacting you
about not receiving products
that haven’t yet shipped,
consider providing a means
of checking online
whether or not the product
has shipped.

It Is Never Too Late To Act

I read an article yesterday
that claimed some scientists
believe it is too late
to act
on climate change.

I don’t know one scientist
who is sitting on her a$$,
doing nothing,
because tipping points
and other climate change issues
are certain to happen.

They’re mitigating the harm
that will be done.
They’re preparing
for these tipping points.
They’re giving animals and insects
and other lifeforms
great lives
today.

They’re taking MORE action
than many people who think
climate change can be stopped.

As a business example,
I know I’ll likely be
closing my Romance Novel business
in two years.

Am I doing nothing
because this will happen?

No.
I’m creating magic
for my loyal readers
(customers).
I’m enjoying the f*ck
out of these last 2 years
in the business.
I’m ensuring the closure
will be as painless and easy
for everyone as possible.

That is a lot of
f*cking work.

It is never too late
to act.

There are ALWAYS actions
to take.

Customer History

A loved one
has been battling
a huge internet provider
for well over a month.

Every time
he calls their customer service
they have NO record
of his previous calls.

This is a company
that likely tracks
everything we do
on the internet,
selling that information
to other companies.

The lack of tracking
re: customer service
is deliberate.
It is irritating.
And it likely loses them customers.

But this company is one
of the biggest in the country
so they don’t care.

We can’t be as uncaring.
Our businesses are smaller.
We’re trying to build our customer bases.
We need positive customer experiences
and the positive word of mouth
that accompanies that.

Track customer service experiences.
Keep a thorough customer file.

Ensure your customers
feel respected.

Your Customer Service Sucks Right Now

In my part of the world,
1 in 25 people (or more)
are currently suffering
from COVID.

That’s one illness alone.

There are wars happening
that impact
people’s families and friends.

Climate change
is still impacting people
and their loved ones.

People are facing
many other challenges.

These people include
your sales and other customer facing
teams.

Customer service is,
as a result,
sucking big time.

And that is impacting
your customers
and your sales.

What can you do
about this?

You can build
more customer service
into your products.
Place a thank you message
on your packaging, for example.

Or/And

You can tweak your systems
to make customer service easier
for your employees.
You can take out steps
in the product return process,
for example.

Or/And

You can hire more employees.
Or give employees more paid breaks
during the day.
Or make their working conditions
as pleasant as possible.

These are just a few fast ideas.
Your customer facing employees
can likely supply more.

Your customer service
sucks right now.

Do something to ‘fix’ it
and improve future sales.

Bring In Treats

If you’re building
a holiday-gift-feasible
retail business,
you are likely
extremely busy right now.

Your employees
and other partners
are tired.
Yet there are still
sales to be made.

Bring in a treat
for them.

This could be special coffees
or beautiful gift bags
to make their own holiday shopping
easier
or an extra ten minutes of paid lunch.

You know your employees.
Bring them something
THEY would like.

Give them the energy
and enthusiasm
they need
to make your customers
happy.