Solving the customer service mess.

• Author: Hall, Robert
• Position: Marketing Solutions

Should we blow up customer service and start over? I recently attempted to find some way to reduce my high cable television bill. The call center representative said the problem was that I had multiple cable boxes and had acquired service at a one-price-gets-everything rate. The company now had packages--company-defined bundles of channels--that would give me a better rate.

However, she was in the billing department, and I would have to talk with someone in sales, so she would transfer me. OK. I waited, and finally a gentleman answered. I started to restate my need, and he said, "I'm in repair, let me transfer you to sales," I waited and finally another lady answered. I began my well-rehearsed statement. She said, "That is service, let me transfer you."

"No!" I said. "I just talked..." but it was too late. Another gentleman came on the line. I passionately explained he was the fourth person I had talked with-do not transfer me--and then I told him of my need. He said, "I'm in repair but I will try to help you." He was not that well informed, but he did walk me through the packages. There was no cost savings.

Service that does not serve

People, it seems to me, are tired of being forced into a service process that does not serve them. It feels arrogant for a company to force a menu of categories of problems on their callers, as if the company knew all the possibilities, and there is no room for yours. Too often the process has been designed around the technology rather than the customer.

If all you're measuring is average handling time and cost per call, then the process can look efficient. But if you look at how customers bounce around, how many different representatives wind up handling a single caller, the lost sale opportunities and the damage to the brand--well, that's a very different set of measures and a very different picture.

Task efficiency for getting work done is not the same as customer or relationship efficiency for customers who do not have a day for getting answers. Twenty-four/7 provides some indication that service is available 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week This has been a plus and has added value for...