Customer Centricity

I think we can all agree that reliable access to Wi-Fi is becoming as essential to modern life as piped water or electricity… (for all the South Africans out there, the irony is not lost!). Even my octogenarian parents are lost when their Wi-Fi stops! So, the pain of unreliable, slow connectivity is doubled when it comes to running a business or working remotely.

I do live in the mountains and fibre is not available here, so we must rely on LTE. I recently upgraded and the service provider assured me that with the new package and fancy router, I would be sorted. After half a day of trying to read labels printed in <6 pt size and deciphering how to connect and change passwords on all devices, the household waits with bated breath as Netflix loads… and loads… and loads. The circle of death is worse than ever!

My calls to the service provider go unanswered until I call the sales line. It’s then miraculously answered within 3 rings and the agent hurriedly tries to pass me on, but I insist on him staying on the line until another human being answers from the customer service department. “Oh, it must be because of your area.” But you knew where I lived and I explained the situation. “You could bring in the router to be checked.”

I drop off the router and I’m told to expect an update within 7 days. ?I call 8 days later, “Oh it hasn’t been checked by a technician yet”. 10 days later I call again, “It’s with the technician, they will call you.” 12 days later, I call and the answer is that the router is faulty and I may collect a new one.

I have a new router and fingers crossed; I’m connected – for now!

Customer centricity is not rocket science. It’s about intentionally designing products and business processes for the benefit of the customer, and then empowering your staff to serve the customer. In my tale of woe, the only person with any interest or agency in helping me with a faulty product was me. The sale does not end with the swish of a credit card. That should be the start of a mutually beneficial relationship for the service provider and the customer. In this case, I’m tied into a contract with gritted teeth. I shall not be renewing and I shall not be recommending them to anyone else.

Sounds like a lose/lose to me, when a simple proactive call from the service provider post-sales, could have created a win/win.???????

Let’s chat about the customer experience in your company.