Good customer support is hard to get these days. Companies have become so big that they have lost all sense of personal one on one contact with their customers. All too often you find that businesses have become too impersonal in their quest for profits. You find yourself feeling like just another dollar bill.
Mind you, there are some businesses out there that still value their customers and try to treat everyone very special. To these businesses, the customer is the most important person in the world and they will go out of their way to ensure the customer gets what they need. But exactly how do you find them?
* Search online: search on Google for “lighting stores”. You can look through the web sites and check their credentials. You can either email them a question or use a live help facility if they have it. Most businesses have an online presence, whether they have their own website or affiliate themselves somehow with an online directory or similar.
* In your local yellow pages: the yellow pages are good for selecting local businesses and finding companies that offer personalized customer support. A phone call will let you know what sort of customer service to expect and whether they have 24 hour technical service.
* Ask friends and family for recommendations. A company that has good customer service and technical support generally have a really good name amongst the public. Friends and family can be trusted and they can help you when you are looking for a reliable business to deal with. Around the water cooler at work is another good place for information.
What you should look for in customer service:
* Professionalism: These days, many businesses skimp on training to save money and it shows in their employee’s attitudes. After all, if their employer won’t train them properly, why should they care about their job. When you find good staff you’ll be able to see it in their attitude.
* Personal customer service affords you the luxury of talking to someone on a ‘one on one’ basis. Look for companies that have 800 phone numbers that allow you to call their customer service. Especially for technical assistance after hours, there’s a thing called Murphy’s Law that says when you do need help it’s going to be after hours.
* 24 hour technical service: this is important as you do not know when you may need technical service. You also need technical support that will be available 7 days a week. It is no good being stuck with tech problems and only be able to fix them Monday to Friday between the hours of nine to five.
* Properly trained staff are there when you need to talk to someone and they know what they are talking about. This means people who have been in the industry for some time, with years of coaching and mentoring behind them. Too many businesses rely on inexperienced, young staff because they are cheaper to hire.
Remember that good customer service and technical support reflects a company’s attitude towards its clients. Businesses that offer this are aware of the holistic needs of consumers and strive to provide an all-round service. It’s just that little bit extra that makes a consumer’s experience so much better.
