Tag Archives: Customer Service

I’m know for helping companies with ideas and strategies to grow their business. While customer service is certainly part of growing a business, my topic areas focus more on Internet Marketing, Monetizing Social Media and Innovation. Recently, I was flying back from speaking at the International Franchise Association (IFA) and my layover was in Atlanta Hartsfield Jackson International Airport (ATL) and witnessed an amazing display of customer service.

How is your telephone answered?  Are you using a real person or an automated attendant with voice prompts?  

Either way, I’d encourage you to “mystery shop” your own company. Mystery shopping is the process of pretending to be a prospect and calling, e-mailing, or visiting your business to see how well customer service is handled.

What I’m focusing on here are your phones… I hate it when I call my bank, get forced to go through all sorts of prompts, only to sit on hold forever before being transferred to a rep who doesn’t speak English fluently and who can’t help anyway. So many reps these days seem completely untrained, unempowered, and inept — it amazes me.  Then there are the voice-automated attendants that if not configured properly send you to “voice-mail hell” where you’ll freeze over before you get any help.