A surprisingly short time ago, a query, complaint or even order was sent by post and you sat back and waited for a reply perhaps a week or two later. Now a call is made, or perhaps an email sent, and an answer is expected immediately, or is it?
Does everybody need or even want an instant answer? Does industry or the customer drive expectations up and are the expectations realistic or desirable?
Many businesses believe they are customer driven but few are. Call centres, the source of much controversy in sectors as diverse as insurance and banking to mobile phones and white goods are a case in point.
If you know what your customer wants and manage their expectations, both customer and staff have a better experience and are likely to be more loyal and, above all, more profitable.
A poor experience leads to higher (and more expensive) levels of contact, more costly resolution, less staff satisfaction, higher staff turnover, more training costs and less experienced staff giving poorer customer experiences in a downward spiral.
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