Customer service is getting worse—and so are customers
Are your customer service experiences deteriorating? If so, you’re not alone. Now more than ever, people are noticing a decline in the level of service they receive. Of course, this is alarming, but is it any surprise? As customers become increasingly impatient and demanding, businesses must step up or suffer the consequences. Let’s examine this growing issue—to find out why customer service is getting worse and how customers are to blame.
1.Decreasing Standards of Customer Service
It used to be the case that customer service was held to a high standard. But times have changed. Companies prioritize profits, outsourcing customer service to low-cost, low-quality providers abroad. It’s become the “new normal,” and customers take a back seat to bigger corporate goals.
Here are some of the effects of the decrease in customer service quality:
- Lengthy wait times. Calling customer service may take up an entire afternoon.
- Language barrier. The person on the other end of the line may have difficulty understanding you and vice versa.
- Lack of information. Many agents will not have the information you require, leading to even longer wait times.
- No personalized help. With customer service desks located abroad, personalization is almost non-existent.
The decrease in customer service standards is having severe effects on consumers who may have no other option than to suffer through their service-related issues. If the customer service standards continue to dwindle, we could be headed for an era of sub-par customer service.
2.Is Poor Customer Service Turning Customers Away?
Poor Customer Service Outcome
Nothing will drive customers away quicker than subpar customer service. When customers are met with rude responses or slow response times, it’s enough to make them go looking for an alternative. Events like these can lead to major turnoffs, which often results in lost business for the company.
Significant Impact
When it comes to poor customer service, the opportunities are seemingly endless. Customers who feel undervalued will speak about their negative experience on their own platforms, with potential customers being introduced to such comments. Companies can face bigger losses than expected as this can result in a drop in sales or losing valuable customers who can be instrumental in the growth of business.
- Rude responses
- Slow response times
- Lost business
- Drop in sales
- Negative experience to potential customers
3.The Rise of Disgruntled Consumers
As the cost of goods and services continue to increase, with wages remaining stagnant, consumers everywhere are becoming more disgruntled. With each new day, they grow more frustrated with having less money to spend while everything around them appears to be more expensive.
The impact of this is evident in the customer service industry, with customers expected to shoulder heavier costs in the form of repair or installation fees, as well as increasing demands for speedier service. They no longer have the patience to wait, and feel they should be entitled to the best service available without paying extra.
- Customer aggression is becoming a more common sight, incidents of threats and verbal abuse being reported more often.
- Lockdown meant many customers were unable to purchase essential items as usual, resulting in a wave of complaints being lodged against stores.
- Sizeable price hikes have left customers feeling cheated, angered by a lack of transparency when it comes to the pricing of goods and services.
At the heart of these consumer gripes is an underlying sense of dissatisfaction which if not addressed can lead to disputes and negative feedback, something neither side wants to handle. Its important to take measures to alleviate this growing problem, lest businesses suffer the consequence of a bad reputation.
4.Finding Solutions to the Customer Service Crisis
As customer service has become an integral part of any successful business, it is ever so important that companies come up with effective solutions to the customer service crisis. It should no longer be acceptable to have inadequate customer service, as this can lead to lost customers and reduced earnings. Here are some ways that businesses can work to combat the customer service crisis:
- Ensure that customer service staff have all the necessary skills and training to best serve customers – this includes being knowledgeable about the products and services being offered.
- Add extra customer service staff when needed, such as during peak times, to make sure service is consistent and up to standard.
- Prioritize customer service calls and handle them in a timely manner.
- Set clear goals and expectations for customer service staff to ensure that they are providing the best possible service.
By utilizing these strategies, businesses can minimize the customer service crisis that has been affecting so many companies in recent years. Quality customer service is essential to any successful business, so companies must take the necessary steps to ensure that their customer service is up to par.
It’s an undeniable fact that customer service is worsening, but the driving force behind the change in customer service may just be the change in customer. The escalating conflict between customers and customer service workers is an area in need of greater understanding. After all, if there’s one thing that remains consistent, it’s the need for mutual respect between customers and customer service workers. Until then, customer service is likely to continue getting worse—and so will customers.