In these times of high competitiveness, no one can deny that the quality of the service is a key factor in customer loyalty. It must be recognized that companies strive every day to improve their service, however good intentions are not enough for the customer to "put on the shirt."
I will cite a fact that can better graph what I want to refer to. A few days ago I asked for a pizza order from a well-known chain that had implemented an exclusive central for delivery, believe me I was surprised with the greeting of the person who answered the phone, called me by name, her voice was warm
It could have been a happy story, as we all like it, but… here comes the second part. I had requested to pay with a debit card, which implied that a POS device brought those that register your card and charge you directly to the bank account. The delivery man arrived before 30 minutes (if it was not free, you know) he greeted me and delivered the pizzas, but… he forgot the POS, he told me if I could pay in cash, I told him that I did not have it at that time. He explained that he had forgotten the device and was going to return. It was at that time around 8 pm.
After eating the pizzas, I waited hour after hour and the happy delivery man did not arrive. When I was getting ready to sleep, the doorbell rang… it was him !! Imagine my expression at the time, there was no smile of course and my digestive process was put at risk. I told him it was not possible that he would arrive at 11.30pm. etc etc. Shyly, in a trembling voice, he explained that the bike had failed him, he had fat on his hands, his face too, anyway… I paid him, he apologized more than once and left quickly.
This story could be repeated in some way in any other company, after all it was a lived experience, captured by the right side of my brain, which has made it possible for me to write it in great detail for you. What can we learn from this? For more effort that the company has made to capture my attention, call yourself promotions, put together your duo, buy two by one, points card etc. It is useless if the experience finally generated frustration in me, as expressed by Juan Carlos Alcaide when he talks about customer loyalty.
Alcaide presents a survey carried out by CRMGuru in which the people consulted indicate customer service with 74% as the main reason for abandoning their suppliers, secondly with 32% the poor quality. What is interesting about this survey is that, from the perception of managers, asignan en primer lugar con 49% al precio y en segundo término a la necesidad de cambiar, con un 35%. No cabe duda que son percepciones distintas. Por mi parte debo decir que la mayoría de las empresas, cuando hay alguna deficiencia en el servicio, ponen el foco en sus procesos, mientras que el cliente lo hace en la experiencia misma. Es por ello que al presentarse una queja, el cliente no entiende o no asume como respuesta, “Lo sentimos, es que falló el proceso tal o cual”; lo único que desea es que le solucionen el problema.
According to Alcaide, there are two key aspects, which I also share, in the quality of the service. Internal quality and external quality. Internal quality refers to the functional aspects of the service (what the customer buys). In the case of the fact that I mention, we could associate it to the first part: having the technology to identify who is calling, the recording of my data, the taste of pizza, all of which lived up to my expectations. The external quality is referred to the way the service is delivered, in this case the experience was negative, for all the inconveniences I mentioned.
We can say that for the client, finally, it is the external quality that determines the quality of the service. Do the test and think when you go to lunch at a restaurant, when you take a flight or any other service, which is what determines the quality.
For all these reasons, it is very important to reinforce people's attitudes and behaviors, since they are the ones who finally tip the balance in the client's judgment. Cover smiles and communication techniques are important, but not decisive, unnatural in some cases, and that does not end up convincing the client.
Do not forget that the success of your company depends, now more than ever, on the quality of the service it provides and for this it will be essential to have a high motivation of people, the customer orientation that ALL have (front office and back office).), internal marketing, the means and forms of internal communication and the values they transmit.
For now, I confess that I will miss the taste of the pizza, but I prefer not to risk another long wait… I accept suggestions.
Until next time!.
