Customer Service is a Strategy, Not a Slogan

By Peter DeHaan

May 16, 2007

Does your call center make customer service a priority?  I expect that it does.  In fact, I suspect that the phrase "customer service" is found somewhere in your mission or vision statement, etched on a wall plaque, proclaimed in your marketing material, and oft orated by upper management.

However, it is often said, "talk is cheap," and "actions speak louder than words."  The question then becomes, do you actually provide quality customer service or just talk about it?  Has the vocabulary of providing world-class customer service been bandied about so often that you - and the entire organization - have been falsely convinced that it is a reality, when, in fact, it has no basis in truth?

I once had an unfortunate experience in which the local car dealership charged $175, accomplishing no tangible results other than changing the oil.  This was the only impetus I needed to return to the trustworthy comfort and integrity of my local service station, where I continue to be a loyal and supportive customer of their car care services.  Unfortunately, the day that I dreaded came last summer, when they informed me that repairing my heat-generating air conditioner was beyond the scope of their services; I would need to take the car to the dealer.

With trepidation, I walked into the dealer's brightly lit and tastefully decorated service department.  As I walked up to the "customer service" desk, a representative, clad in business attire with a tasteful tie, greeted me.  I explained the problem and, knowing their mode of operation all too well, asked for an estimate.  With a confidence-building smile and positive words of assuredness, he sent me on my way.

His phone call came shortly after I returned to the office: $1,575!  Following my dumbfounded silence, he launched into an extended explanation, mixing mechanic jargon and automotive terminology -- which I doubt even he fully understood - seemingly aimed to intimidate me into accepting their costly diagnosis.  According to their investigation, a heater problem was also uncovered and somehow related to the AC repair.  True, for only $980, I could fix just the AC, but then it would be over $1,200 to go back later to repair the heater.

"Let's get realistic," I challenged him, determined to not be victimized again.

The representative apologized that he had no other options and admitted that his "hands were tied."  I declined to authorize the repair and arranged to pick up the car.  He kept repeating, "I'm sorry; I know I've lost you as a customer."

It took some time, but eventually I heard about a full-service garage with a reputation for honesty.  I took the car in.  Sitting in a small and somewhat dingy office with a dated décor and amidst organized clutter, I explained the chronology of events, sharing the dealer's written estimate.  The owner of the garage chose his words carefully, "Well, they could be right, but I think we can get it working for much less."  He had a $185 solution that he wanted to try.  Plus, if he was wrong, he would apply that amount to the repair the dealer recommended (for which his normal price was only $800).  As far as the "heater issue," he found no justification for any work.

I followed his recommendation.  The $185 AC repair proved to be accurate, keeping us cool through a hot and humid summer, with the heater working without incident throughout that winter.

The dealership had talked ad-nauseam about their top-notch customer service in their ads, promotions, mailings, and sales pitch.  They even put on an impressive front, but there was no substance; to them, customer service seemed to be maximizing the repair bill.  The garage, on the other hand, didn't talk about customer service; they just did it.

Which customer service example do you want your call center to follow: a lot of shallow talk or actions that speak for themselves?