The right direction

The progress of any brand is directly proportional to the number of its happy customers.

- BRAD CLEVELAND

Apple, the trillion-dollar tech giant, is also a giant in customer service. When my iPhone battery life began to diminish, I found myself on Apple’s online support pages, where I was quickly offered four options: bring the product into a store, send it in for repair (which I could schedule online), start a chat, or set up a call. With a few keyboard clicks, I had a shiny, new ‘issue ID’ and had initiated a call.

On my call, I avoided the phone menu entirely because the automated system knew who I was and why I was calling. I was placed in the appropriate queue with an acceptable five-minute wait time. The rep who answered knew who I was, why I was calling, had my warranty information, and we jumped right into troubleshooting.

Why can’t all companies do this? The principles that guide effortless customer experiences seem basic. But the truth is, it is difficult to get customer service basics right, and many organisations don’t. Run-of-the-mill customer service annoyances are still maddeningly common, yet the consequences to businesses are dire. You have probably seen these or similar statistics: 88 per cent of customers consider customer service when they contemplate a purchase, and 58 per cent stop doing business with a company after a poor service experience.

Resolving service frustrations is often among the first stops for any organisation working to improve their customer experience. Here are five universal frustrations that can point you in the right direction.

Do not make me wait