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Before moving back to Ireland I was working in the financial customer service centre as a six-sigma team leader for a Fortune Fifty company. It was hard work, but challenging and motivating.
I received extensive customer service training, much of it common sense, but much of it going deeper than that. Going through the training initially, meant enacting role plays. I hate role plays. I don't mind playing leads in the opera, but role plays with peers is annoying, embarrassing and seemingly pointless, but we did it.
It wasn't until a few months later when I had to use some of the skills from these role plays with an irate customer did I realise how well the techniques actually worked. Not only that, but they worked outside of the workplace as well. With family, with friends, with the husband. Empathy is king.
Moving back to Ireland was quite a shock then in terms of customer service. When we first realised we were stranded here without the jobs initially promised to us, we were forced to get temporary work until we figured out what we were doing, if we were staying or going back, or where we would go. I took up some work at a bank. It was a job a monkey could do, but it was a meagre 35 hours a week and decent money. Shock number one. 35 hours = full work week. Wow! I can live with that. However, as a customer I couldn't understand the concept of a bank closing for lunch in this day and age, or one that didn't open for at least a few hours on Saturday. Accessible they were not.
Management at the bank was another notable phenomenon. Apart from being a bit of an old boys club there was no form of staff motivation. It's something I have come across again and again in Irish business. My husband deals with it daily. Employees are not empowered. They are not given a pat on the back when they do a good job, but if something goes amiss, you can be sure they'll be hearing about it.
I interviewed for a job in the bank which would have been similar to what I did in the states only on a much smaller dollar, consumer level. It was the first time I interviewed for something and didn't get the job. The guy who did get the job had no experience at all, he was right out of college. I went straight to the hiring manager and asked why I didn't get the job and was told it was because of my management philosophy. I didn't understand. Apparently I had put much too much emphasis on team motivation.
Bottom line they did not consider their people an asset. How could anyone be so stupid? People are the greatest asset a company has. Treat them right and everything else will follow. Treat them wrong and you're screwed. Where do you think unions came from?
But I digress... I had wanted to talk about standards of customer care...
Shock number two. Employees at the bank answered the phone "X Bank." They laughed at me when I actually told people who they were talking to and which branch they were ringing. This still irks me today. If I call a business line, do not answer "Hello." I should not have to ask you who you are.
Restaurant service. Don't get me started. Refund and return policies. Lousy business hours. Lack of internet presence. Shitty internet presence. The list goes on. And on. And on. GRRR! Ultimately the country is a customer service nightmare. But we all know that and I do think things are s-l-o-w-l-y getting better.
So what's new then?
Now I'm a business customer. Some of you may know from my other blog that I am starting a new business. As such, I am having to acquire suppliers and services, which involves making numerous inquiries. As a business person, making new sales and retaining customers, should be two of your top priorities. This does not seem to be the case in Ireland.
For ingredient suppliers I contacted no fewer than 20 different companies. One got back to me. That's a five percent return. This just blows me away. There is a downturn in the economy - you'd think companies would be embracing new business, especially in a saturated market like food supply. I'm here waving my Laser card at them and they don't want my money!?
I know things are more laid back here, but come on! There's laid back and there's bankrupt.
I've contacted several printers. I got a quote back from one, four weeks later. I just can't get over it. Where is the pride? Where is the professional courtesy?
With the slowing down of the economy these people are in for a big shock. Right now price might be the deciding factor for people to go with a company, but soon they will all have similar prices in order to compete in a sluggish market. Then what? It's their service that is going to sell the product. When are they going to cop on?
If all of these companies came around today and gave me a quote lower than the one who came back to me initially, I'd go with the first guy. If they can't give me a timely quote how can I ensure they will deliver product on time?
I've expressed my frustration about this to lots of people. "Sure that's the way it is" is the standard response. WHY? Why does it have to be like this?
The Celtic Tiger is dying fast. If the Lisbon Treaty goes through the EU will be regulating most of the trade we have previously been able to entice with tax incentives. We need to differentiate ourselves, we need to adopt sound business practices and apply them. Customer service on a business or consumer level needs to be a higher priority. Common professional courtesy needs to be implemented. If someone contacts you, you get back to them ASAP, even if it's to say you will get them full details later. This is a no brainer people!
Rant over.
I've been ranting a lot lately. Lighter stuff soon.
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