Telephone Based Service Channels, Essay Example

Great customer service is the key to every successful business regardless to what type of service the business is providing. Providing great customer service has many benefits for both the business and the customer. When a company provides great customer service, it will gain the trust of its clients. In return, the clients will refer new clients to the business. For example, a study reported that nearly 73 percent of people who stick strictly to a particular product or service do so because they received friendly, speedy customer service. Likewise, customers who encountered poor customer service revealed that they would be willing to pay up to 25 percent more for products if they received better customer service.  In today’s tech savvy world, many people utilize reviews that former clients have posted using blog sites on the Internet. Likewise, companies are using technology to serve their customers because it is a logical way to save the company money. Nonetheless, many customers do not like encountering customer service when they are unable to speak with a live person. There are several reasons why customers prefer speaking with a live person over the phone when they have a customer service issue.

Older customers often complain that they are unable to respond to automated prompts fast enough to receive quality service. Often when one calls an automated service he/she may have to dial in an account number or respond to a question by pushing buttons on a touch tone phone. When a response is not made in the specified time, the call could be disconnected or rerouted to the beginning again. This is a frustrating process. Customers who were happy with the customer service they received typically tell 4 to 6 people about the experience. Likewise, customers who had poor customer service experiences were likely to toe 9 to 15 people about the experience. (Blodgett, Wakefield, and Kirk)

Language barriers are another complaint with automated customer service. People who are not native English speakers often have difficulty with automated services. Because of the way that foreigners often pronounce words, computer generated programs are unable to identify the words(Lewis and Mitchell)  As a result, a customer whose primary language is not English will find themselves repeating a word several times and continually being rerouted by the automated service. When speaking to a live person, he/she is able to understand what the person is saying or he/she can ask enough other questions to get the gist of what the person is saying. If all fails, the live person knows how to get someone else on the phone that can help.

Speaking to a live person gives the customer a sense of connection that they cannot accomplish using automated services. Speaking to someone who knows them is important to most customers. This helps them to feel like they are more than just an account number. (Lewis and Mitchell) Often using other forms of customer service does not get the customer immediate help; the form of help they are looking for. Customers can have general conversations with live customers, something they cannot do with automated services.

Time is precious when one to talks to someone about a service or product that is not functioning properly. Customers want help right away. Most times, this can’t be achieved by automated services or posting messages to a site. The most effective way of accomplishing this, even in the age of technology, is by talking to someone on the telephone.

Works Cited

Blodgett, Jeffrey G, Wakefield, Kirk L., and Barnes, James H. The Effects of Customer Service on Consumer Complaining Behavior. Journal of Service Marketing. 9.4(2005). 31-42

Lewis, Barbara R., and Mitchell, Vincent W. Defining and Measuring the Quality of Customer Service. Marketing Intelligence & Planning. 8.6 (2000). 11-17.