Before the caller ever got to Marco – the customer service representative, the customer had been working with the company for months. They had read the marketing brochures, had a conversation with a sales rep, reviewed the new customer information on the website, and read all the information e-mailed to them as they began using the services provided by Marco’s company.
All those communications, all that information set an expectation in the caller’s mind. Now it was up to Marco to respond to the complaint, the comment, the momentary confusion of the customer. That complaint, comment, confusion were the result of expectations set through all those communications, and expectations not met through the actual service delivered.
For Marco to best handle the situation, he had to know the content of the marketing collateral, the sales conversation, the website onboarding information, and the information e-mailed to new customers.
It’s hard enough dealing with somebody who’s angry or they’re upset, they’re confused or flummoxed, or they’re seeking clarification or confirmation of information. It’s doubly difficult if you don’t know what precipitated all of those emotions and questions.
Luckily, Marco was well-aware of the communications customers receive, and the company is good enough to provide information between the different divisions so everybody can stay aware of the freshest set of information that goes in front of customers.
While being great at customer service often requires us to be great in that Moment of Truth, sometimes the success of those conversations is based on what happens before that customer engagement.
It’s when individual staff like Marco take time during downtime (or they allocate a little bit of time every day) to make sure they understand what’s being communicated to customers and what kind of questions, concerns, complaints can be driven from that information, and how that information and the expectations it sets differ from reality.
To best meet customer expectations, study the information and communication tools that create customer expectations.
Signup for FREE Tips! Contact Us More Resources for You Visit Our Home Page
