Dyson makes amazing, premium products. So it’s especially galling for customers to face shoddy service when dealing with the company.
A recent purchase and return cycle was layered with frustration and the kind of customer service horror stories that have people reeling in shock. Cracks in communications (starting from the packaging) led to a breakdown in customer loyalty. Each small, almost inconsequential error led to the kind of negative word of mouth that can kill any brand.
Aside from badly written customer service scripts, many of the errors can be attributed to over zealous managers trying to squeeze optimum productivity at the expense of the customer. Collectively they illustrate the failure many brands face when dealing with customers over the phone or online.
Customer service is rapidly become a key brand differentiator. Regardless of whether it’s business-to-business, or business to consumer. Whether it’s manufacturing, wholesale or retail. On main street or online.
Customer service is a key driver for growth. Many enterprises see customer service as a pesky obligation rather than a communications opportunity.
It’s startling to discover how few enterprises measure dropped or unanswered calls, how few metrics are available to measure bad customer service. Often executives are only given data that makes them look good, especially when they’ve outsourced customer service to external suppliers.
Many executives think the answer is better technology, more abrupt processes and limited feedback loops. They are worrying about the wrong things. There’s more to better communications than numbers and data.