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It's about time that we learned how to complain.
By Nigel Gordijk
One unforeseen (and with hindsight, welcome) side-effect of marrying
a Canuck was that it encouraged me to leave my comfort zone by questioning
many of the things I had taken for granted. When my wife and stepdaughter
moved to England to join me, it resulted in me sharing my home with
two tourists. And, like all tourists, they both viewed the world
around them with fresh eyes.
In the first few months of living together in the UK I infuriated
Cheryl by answering her frequently-asked question "Why do you
guys do things this way?" with the reply, "Because that's
the way we've always done it!" The correct response was, and
still is, "Because no-one's thought of another way." Likewise,
whenever I travel to the other side of the Pond there are differences
in how people conduct business and interact with customers that
I can only regard with envy.
There are two reasons why so many consumers receive poor customer
service and why many service providers offer second-rate products.
- As consumers, we Brits don't know how to complain. We accept
substandard service whilst we bitch and moan about it. But do
we complain to someone who can actually make changes? More often
than not, we have a rant and then let it pass. Why else would
we settle for banks telling us that it'll take five days to clear
a cheque?
- As suppliers, we simply do not ask for feedback from our customers.
How do we know if the service we're providing is adequate if we
don't ask? Waiting for a complaint may be futile. Dissatisfied
clients will simply take their business to someone who will give
them what they want.
(There is a third reason: Old World arrogance. We don't seem to
take kindly to being told by colonial upstarts how to do things
better.)
As customers, if we don't learn how to give feedback then we'll
continue to receive the service that we deserve. And if we're serious
about improving the quality of our product then we need to find
out from customers what they think of us. Ask relevant questions:
Are expectations of service met? Does the service represent good
value for money?
Make the feedback process easy and quick. When I complete a project
I email the client asking for their comments. The email contains
a link to an online multiple choice form. Doing this serves two
purposes: it shows that I value their opinion and also that I don't
take their business for granted.
I never bothered to seek clients' feedback until a Canadian opened
my eyes to the mediocre service I'd been receiving for years from
other people. I decided not to be so tolerant - and resolved to
find out how my clients rate my service to them.
So be brave - ask difficult questions to which you may not like
the answers. It's the first step to improving the service you provide. |
