Better Service is just an experience away
Drew Harris
With all of the communication companies after all of my business and offering me "bundled" services to save a buck, they are missing the boat. As a consumer, First and Foremost I am interested in SERVICE! Customer Service, Superior Service, and Product Service.
Oh sure, I like to save a buck as much as the next guy... but, if you don't provide me with the best service I will not be around long. So, listen up communication companies. I'm going to give you something very valuable for free. Here is a short, simple roadmap for success if you are in this business.
Offering/Product Must Be Great
AT&T and Apple have my business in the mobil market primarily becuase they have the iPhone. This product is the best for me, perhaps not for everyone, but for me it fits nicely. Apple has Awesome software that does what I need it to do flawlessly, I don't have to worry about it messing up or crashing. The iPhone software is very easy to use, I don't have to learn how to use it, it was designed with me in mind, it fits. Furthermore AT&T and Apple with the iPhone product offering have good hardware. The AT&T network does the job in more places than any other network and it is the only network that supports the iPhone in the U.S. AT&T & Apple have a great product/offering with the iPhone. I put this one first because you have first have something great to offer.
Customer Service
This is not just some one time thing. Nor does great customer service happen just before or after the sale, it is an on ongoing process that you must stay on top of. If you do not take care of your clients someone else will and as a result you will loose your customer. Again, I will choose AT&T to help me make my point here. A few years ago, we had a billing disagreement with AT&T. They did not take care of the issue and they did not take care of us as a respected client. We had to report them to the BBB before the issue was resolved. This was poor customer service and my wife and I encouraged everyone we knew to NOT use AT&T. However, more recently, I have seen a huge change in how they handle customer service. When I have an issue, my call is quickly answered by a qualified person who does help me with whatever issue I report, and (this is huge) they make SURE they have done right by me BEFORE the conversation is over. Usually, within a few days I get another follow up call by a 3rd party survey company to see what my level of satifaction was with the service person. The same is true with Cox, previously we have had poor experiences. But, lately... they have addressed this and made sure we are taken care of and satified before they leave the conversation. In contrast, BTC has always had poor customer service. As a result, I am moving my home phone service from BTC to Cox.
Once you screw up in customer service, it takes ten times the good customer service to change my mind.
Product Service
Once you have sold your product to me it must perform as expected or better. Example, if you sell me a computer and say it will be all these things and have none of the problems I had with my last computer, it had better have flawless proformance in that regard. The very first time that your product fails to deliver what I expected you have failed me and damaged my trust in your product. I do not recommend products that I do not fully trust. This is why I choose Apple for my home and work computers, they just work. I never worry about my apple crashing or getting a sick. Now, after about 5 years of hard use, I usually have to replace my laptop, but that is to be expected. Another example from the communciation industry: For many years I have had Dish Network for my home entertainment service. It works how I expect it to work. Over the years there have been issues where it did not work, but the customer service part was good enough that I was quicky serviced back to a product/service that worked to my expectations.
We Can All Be Better
No one on this earth is perfect, we all make mistakes. Let's try to be patient with others and understanding when problems arrise and provide those that serve us with the oppurtunity to provide correction and resolution. When we serve others, let's keep in mind what makes for a good experience and do our best to provide that to those we serve.