Marcia Downing

What Does Inconsistent Customer Service Cost a Company in the Age of Social Media? Day 5 – Part 10 - The Question Every Organization Should Ask Instead of asking only: “Did the employee complete the transaction?” Businesses should also ask: “What story did the customer leave with?” Because that story matters. One employee may see a customer for two minutes. The customer may tell that story for two years. And in today's connected world, the customer may not be telling it to five people. They...

What Does Inconsistent Customer Service Cost a Company in the Age of Social Media? Day 5 – Part 9 - Customer Service Is Still a Service So, is customer service a service of the past? I hope not. But perhaps we need to remind ourselves what the word “service” actually requires. It requires more than completing a transaction. It requires recognizing that there is another human being on the other side of the counter, telephone, email, chat window, or computer screen. Customers should not have to...

What Does Inconsistent Customer Service Cost a Company in the Age of Social Media? Day 4 – Part 8 - Service Recovery Matters My own experience also demonstrated something businesses sometimes overlook: a bad interaction does not necessarily have to remain a bad experience. The employee who ultimately helped me could not undo the first interaction. But she could influence what happened next. She listened. She apologized. She corrected the problem. She provided information. She offered a...