Surface Ripples

Contacting Customer Support

 I’m noticing an increasing number of websites where we can buy goods or services which allow one to contact ‘Customer Support’ or ‘Tech Support’, depending on the nature of the product or service on offer.  Some of these offer the option of contacting by phone, direct messaging, or email.  With others, the choice tends to be more ‘restrictive’.

With the growth of online purchases, particularly during the coronavirus pandemic, e-commerce has boomed.  People are buying online to avoid crowded shopping areas where coronavirus may spread.  It’s also more convenient and results in less time spent driving, parking, walking to the store and queuing to check out.

The problem comes when one needs help.  Some vendors, as I mentioned earlier, offer different choices for contact.  Other may only offer direct messaging or calling.  The downside with both of the latter is that socially distancing rules has resulted in fewer operators or support staff being able to work at Help Centres to field calls.  Some may only offer support during their home country’s office hours – not great if one lives in a time zone seven hours ahead of where the service provider operates, or if the product/service breaks down after office hours in the home country…

The objective of any help service is to help.  Many of my problems aren’t what I’d call ‘time critical’, so I’m happy to email (if I’m allowed to) the vendor and state the problem.  Nowadays, some even offer in their online ‘Complaint Form’ to call back at a time convenient to me.  

If we’re going to offer help, we need to accept that it needs to be available and, if we have global customers, available on a 24/7 basis.  Customers should have the option of:

• Calling
• Messaging
• Emailing (for less time-sensitive issues)

For the most part, I suspect that very few problems are that time-critical.  If they are, then the vendor needs to be ‘on call’ at all times.  This means support staff being able to work from home to resolve the issue.  

Customer expectations are evolving.  As businesses, our Customer Support needs to evolve with them.

I’ve spent more than half my life delivering change in different world markets from the most developed to “emerging” economies. With a wealth of international experience in international financial services around the world running different operations and lending businesses, I started my own Consultancy to provide solutions for improving performance, productivity and risk management.  I work with individuals, small businesses, charities, quoted companies and academic institutions across the world. An international speaker, trainer, author and fund-raiser, I can be contacted by email. My website provides a full picture of my portfolio of services.  For strategic questions that you should be asking yourself, follow me at @wkm610.

Labels: Crisis Management, Customer Care, Leadership, Productivity, Selling, Teamwork

posted by William Martin @ 09:48