Copyright (c) 2007 Sophia Monroe

What has happened to providing good customer service? From mortgage lenders, banks, real-estate, telecommunications, and department stores etc. Customer service gets overall grade of D or F. I'm convinced that if any business wants to increase their revenue, this is an area that needs major work and all business could improve. If this area alone is adequately pursued, it could be highly profitable. How you may ask, profitable by doing what so many others are failing to do, by providing good customer service. While working to maintain that all important customers you already have and acquire new customers.

Good customer service is almost like saying; customer service now sleeps with the dinosaurs. Simple things like returning a phone call, or returning the fifth call. Seriously, you would think that a customer or a potential customer call would have been returned before then. Well, I can personally tell you this example happened to me just last week. So, do you think I was a happy customer when I left a message on their answering machine on the fifth call? Needless to say, they have lost me as a customer and I will be sure to tell everyone I know how unprofessional they are and that they should not use their service, because their service is actually no service at all!

Replying to emails; if a customer has contacted the wrong department, then route the customer to the correct dept. This will help the customer service rep not to receive the same customer contacting them over and over again. Spend a couple minutes and find out who should be helping the customer. Provide the customer with a name, and email address of the appropriate person or department. If this is done on the first go around, more than likely there will not be a second and so forth go around.

It was always my goal when I assisted customers to give them everything they needed on their first go around. I did not want to receive another email from the same customer unnecessarily. We have gotten so technical, that we have lost that human connection. The fact that you, instead of a computer replies back to the customer will make you stand out. If a customer feels their request is being handled by a human being and not a computer, I bet he or she is willing to pay a little more for your type of service.

Right now I use a hosting company that I could get for free somewhere else or for a lot less than what I'm paying now. But, I pay more so I can actually speak to a human being and get instant assistance. I don't have to wait for my email questions to be answered two days later. I'm very happy with their service and continue to purchase more and more products. They are dinosaurs!


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Sophia Monroe, has worked many years providing customer service in several industries such as telecommunications, medical and insurance.
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