After perfecting your service or product (which would reduce, but not absolve, the need for customer service altogether), and of course, determining a marketing/advertising plan (I have to say that. I'm in advertising!), I think it's really important to have a good customer service department (or depending on your product/service/company size), make sure all employees are trained in and really embrace the concept of good customer service.
Why is it so important? Because it affects not only the person with the concern, but their whole entire network. There are people like me that when I have an amazing customer service experience, I tell everyone I know. Take a restaurant, for example; if I have a bad meal at a restaurant, but the service was phenomenal, suddenly I want to give them another chance in the food arena and I'm telling everyone I know about how wonderful the overall experience was (the keyword is chance there because if the food is bad the second time, I'm done. "Fool me once...", as they say). And of course, the opposite is also true (and potentially more common for some). If the customer service is bad, I also tell everyone I know.
How hard is it to just "give them the pickle"? I think in every role I've ever been in where there was some aspect of customer service and how they made me watch that video (you know what I'm talking about? Where the new waiter at a restaurant is about to charge customers to get an extra pickle with their meal and the owner says "just give them the pickle!"). It makes sense! Those little things that may or may not have some monetary expense to the company, can turn around even larger income when the customer is happy and they are referring everyone they know to that company because of it! It's a simple concept that every company is obsessed with in all other aspects of their business: Return on Investment. You can really save a business just through good customer service. I'm not suggesting that you live by the literal meaning of "the customer is always right," because they aren't. But seeming like you care, and going above and beyond (even if it's just a little bit) to not only appease the situation, but make it better, and make sure you keep that customer (and their friends). After all, you can't have a business without customers, right?
Well, that is of course, if you are TWC and have very little competition in the Raleigh, NC area. So I can see why they feel they can make me call month after month when they over charge me, tell me it's fixed, then overcharge me again. Or how they press some buttons on their end to make my TV restart, then tell me it's fixed only to have my call back that same day to tell them it's not. Or how they schedule a technician to come out on a Thursday night, then have an annoyed technician call me at work on a Tuesday morning asking why I'm not at home. Or how they reschedule a technician to come Wednesday morning "between 7 and 9am" and at 9:20 I call to say "I am already late to work, why didn't anyone show up when scheduled?" I don't think I've ever had a good customer service experience from them. But let me tell you something, TWC...I will not hesitate to cancel this service. I would rather go TV and internet-less (or switch to another provider) than keep rewarding your bad behavior.
And look at that...23 minutes later, there's that knock at my door! Better late than never...I guess?
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