1to1 Magazine
Newsletters
Web Exclusives
Webinars & White Papers
Events
Resources
Verizon Faces Customer Service Scrutiny From Its Own Staff
When the customer-facing staff at a company feels the need to fight publicly with corporate about how they treat customers, it could indicate a major problem. That is what is happening with Verizon's Florida group.
Today's 1to1 Weekly lead story highlights how disconnected the customer-facing staff is from the policy makers in the corporate offices. It looks like a battle between efficiencies and customer relationships. This is a battle that rages behind closed doors in almost every company, but in this case Verizon employees took to the streets to picket over it.
Verizon corporate says that its customer service metrics are normal, and they have no proof that satisfaction and the customer experience is suffering. However, employees who deal with customers every day may have the opportunity see customer problems before the metrics reflect it.
What do you think? Does your company rely on metrics over personal customer insight, or vice versa? How do you balance the two?
I think that too many communications companies (including all the telcos and cable companies I am familiar with and have tried), have all adapted a ‘make them wait’ approach to CS once the sale is made. While they seem to be able to answer their sales line, it seems that once signed up, they remove people from the equation, add answering machines, and take the position that if we make them wait over 10 – 15 minutes, they will give up and go away with their problems.
It is very annoying and if I could find one that didn’t, they would have my undying loyalty.
Too often, I think, public companies loose sight of people in favor of profits. But as any good business manager knows, if you treat people right the profits will follow (mostly through word-of-mouth).
also in the case of verizon, they need to remember that CSRs are management's customers, just like consumers are CSR's customers.
This is priceless.
But as a wise person once said there are three sides to every story
yours, mine and the truth.
It raises the important question about how much does one invest in a customer.
And the trickier part is how and who tells the customer that they have been fired.
In an earlier post -- How to Deal With Emotional Customers, March 3,2008 --
there was a discussion regarding converting the emotionally charged complaining customers so the up sell/cross sell initiative has primafacia credibility. Front-line staff need to be brought on board or it will never succeed.
The issue of on-site repair scheduling is easily rectified -- modern day schedulers all have that flexibility built in; its only a matter of defining the service standard.
Verizon must be a front runner for the “How not to treat customers” award of the week and the “How not to treat staff” award of the week. Quite a feat.
Companies who view not receiving many complaints as a measurement of success deserve just one thing. Lots more complaints.
It's very sad when the only leverage customers have with the company they're trying to do business with is through the employees that are as frustrated as they are! This action was inevitable. When you have to control your anger and frustration with Verizon, so as not to take it out on the poor Customer Service rep, who's powerless to change things or really address the problem you're trying to solve, shows out of control things have become. Recognizing that employees are as powerless as we as customers are demonstrates how far from customer centric many companies have strayed. Imagine the picket lines if customers still cared enough to help get Verizon's attention. Kudos the the union! (even given their not so hidden agendas)