Customer Service: A Lost Art?

By: Lexi Severini

It’s no secret that a huge part of running a successful business and making your buyers feel valued is implementing a quality customer service program. From the time I became an avid shopper, to when I found myself working in retail, and now, as a member of an organization that manages brand’s social impressions, I can appreciate the importance of valuing your customer. Because at the end of the day, the customer is always right…even when they aren’t.

One company that has maintained an understanding of this basic and frankly indispensible component is Zendesk. From its inception in 2007, the company has become a fast-growing and widely sought-after web-based customer service help desk. Specializing in providing top-notch customer service practices to those who enroll in their Zendesk University, participate in their ‘white papers and webinars’ or visit the site’s forums and documentation is of the utmost importance to the company. What started as a 3-man team based out of a small, studio loft in Copenhagen, Denmark has since moved to Silicon Valley where it now boasts over 300 customer service employees and caters to a host of international companies in need of customer service training.

Co-founder and CEO Mikkel Svane has openly discussed what he believes are the key elements that make for quality customer service – building a relationship with your customer, being honest, and responding quickly.

1. Build a relationship with your customer- no one wants to feel like a number. It’s probably how you felt as you sat in that 500 person lecture hall among a sea of fellow students and it’s undoubtedly how you feel whether visiting online shops or perusing the racks at your local mall. We, at Everywhere, have taken a look at a few companies that we think are doing a good job.

• Whole Foods – I don’t know if I’ve even been a part of a social fraternity that is as warm and welcoming as Whole Foods has been to me. Think that’s saying a lot? Well, it is. This company has done a superb job of treating their customers like royalty. The act of shopping there is an experience. And despite the fact that I go in for apples and come out with half my paycheck worth of wine, cheeses and whatever new organic supplement is on the shelf, I will have had genuine conversations with at least a handful of their employees and that makes it all worth it.
• Coca-Cola – There’s a reason this company has been around for over 125 years and yes a lot of that has to do with its unique, carbonated goodness, but let’s not discredit the fact that Coca-Cola is a well-oiled machine. Their twitter feed receives innumerable tweets a day from fans and what does Coca-Cola do? They direct message every single one of them. Not to mention the Coca-Cola Facebook page took top honors in the Shorty Awards for ‘Best Overall Brand Presence on Facebook’.
• Zappos – one of Everywhere’s very own, Jameson Brown had a superior experience when dealing with a Zappos online customer service representative. His praise for the company and its above-and-beyond initiatives landed his blog post on Social Media Today. While I could ramble on about what makes Zappos a force to be reckoned with, I’ll let Jamey’s article do the talking.

2. Be honest – this is arguably the most obvious and yet undervalued aspect of running a business effectively. We all know what the right thing to do is and if we’ve learned from others mistakes, it’s that in all business - but especially where social media is concerned - honesty and transparency is crucial. Red flags and subsequently, Hell is raised when comments are ignored, aggressively defended or deleted. If a customer has taken the time to reach out to you, have the decency to give them an answer an honest, respectable answer.

3. When a customer asks a question, answer, and do it quickly – There’s nothing quite like having an experience with a company (be it good or bad), choosing to spend the time and energy to share that experience, and then not hearing back.

“Was my message not sent?”

“Have I offended someone?”

Or worst of all –

“Does no one at this company even care?”

Don’t let your company be the reason that a customer takes their business elsewhere. Respond in a timely manner. These days, if that comment is made on Facebook, Twitter, or any other social platform, response time should be almost immediate. Squash the bad word and praise the good one so that others can see that you care about what is being said about your business.

A core principle of good business is recognizing that you wouldn’t be relevant if it weren’t for your customers. So value them. Listen to them. Serve them.