1. CUSTOMER SERVICE
WHY DO YOU THINK THERE IS SO MUCH INCONSISTENCY
WHEN IT COMES TO SERVICE FROM ONE PLACE TO
ANOTHER NOWADAYS?
GIVINGGOOD SERVICE IS NOT AN EASY TASK. WHY DO
YOU THINK THAT IS?
WHY DO YOU THINK MANY PEOPLE WHO WORK IN
CUSTOMER SERVICE IN THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY ARE
NOT MOTIVATED TO GIVE GOOD SERVICE?
2. FEW BUSINESSES GIVE ENOUGH PRIORITY TO EDUCATION AND TRAINING IN
SERVICE. WE SUFFER FROM AN OVERRELIANCE ON TECHNOLOGY. PEOPLE ARE
OFTEN NOT MOTIVATED TO GIVE GOOD SERVICE.
WHAT DO YOU THINK THE WORST ‘SINS’ ARE WHEN IT COMES
TO CUSTOMER SERVICE?
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THE SEVEN SINS OF SERVICE
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3. WHETHER we’re buying a coffee or applying for a home loan, nothing
makes us want to bang our heads against a brick wall like bad service. So
what gets our back up the most?
Customer research and ratings service Canstar Blue has revealed what drives
everyday Aussies crazy when they go to a coffee shop, visit a supermarket, go to
the bank or order a pizza.
Drawing on 17 industry-specific surveys from the past year — including research
into restaurants, hardware stores, broadband providers, phone companies and
utilities — these are what shoppers sayare the seven deadly sins of customer
service.
7. Not paying attention to customers
No one likes to be ignored, but it can be especially infuriating if you’re about to
hand over your hard-earned money. This can be a common scene in cafes, where
staff need to serve customers while making coffee, or in electronics stores, where
sales assistants need to juggle one customer who might want a $2000 TV and
another who wants a $50 toaster. No prizes for guessing who gets priority.
Canstar Blue spokeswomanMegan Doyle said businesses should not be prepared
to leave customers unattended for more than a minute or so.
“Somebig chains may not realise the amount of money that walks out the door
because customers are not prepared to waste their time,” she said.
Customer gripe: “Too many sales staff ask if you are OK, but
then don’t want to serve you.”
6. Keeping customers waiting too long
Even worse than being ignored is being left to wait. We’ve all been there: being
put on hold, twiddling your thumbs while a productis being tracked down “out the
back” or wondering why your dinner order is taking an eternity to reach the table.
“Unless you’re really satisfied with your order, the length of time you waited could
be the overriding memory you take away with you,” Mrs Doyle said.
4. Customer gripe: “No one brought me a menu or asked
to take my order, nor came anywhere near me. I left on
that occasion.”
5. Lack of product or service knowledge
Surely, it’s not too much to ask for staff to know about the products they are trying
to sell. A common complaint from customers is that sales staff are often too young
and don’tknow what they are talking about.
“It’s easy to forgive a lack of knowledge, but sometimes a shop assistant might try
to wing it and in doing so could waste even more of your time — being sent to the
wrong aisle, for example,” Mrs Doyle said.
Customer gripe: “They don’t always have the product
knowledge they pretend to have. They’re unhelpful and don’t
have the imagination to solve even simple problems.”
4. Being pushy and upselling
Sometimes, the suggestion of complementary products is helpful, but most of the
time the salesperson is pushing their luck. We’re happy to be asked, “Would you
like fries with that?” if we’ve bought a burger. But we tend to get testy if we’re
asked, “Would you like an extended warranty with that burger?”
“Somepeople won’t want to be approached or asked questions, while others might
as well have a sign on their forehead saying ‘please come and sell me things’. It’s
important that shop assistants are able to differentiate between the two and adjust
their approachaccordingly, otherwise they risk annoying customers and they might
not see them again,” Mrs Doyle said.
Customer gripe: “The staff are lazy and they try to get you to
purchase things you don’t need or try and get you another
product. I went in for a TomTom (GPS) and the girl was trying
to sell me a garment.”
3. Being unhelpful or giving the impression you don’t care
5. This complaint surfaces often when you call your internet or energy supplier with a
fault. A common experience is that the call centre staff is would rather follow a
script than address the issue at hand. The ultimate insult is being passed from one
personto another, having to repeat yourself over and over to different
representatives.
“People can end up feeling like they’re not being heard. Getting straight answers to
straight questions should not be too much to ask, but unfortunately it often is,” Mrs
Doyle said.
Customer gripe: “They couldn’t care less about customer
service. They don’t let you know if there is a better deal, they
will just let you pay the higher rate. Arrogant and
unsympathetic. You can be on the phone up to three hours
when you have a problem with your bill.”
2. Breaking promises or giving false information
One of customers’ biggest complaints is the feeling that they have been misled.
This can include being misquoted or being told the wrong thing about a productor
service.
“Another common complaint is that consumers find contradictions between what
they are told on the phone and what they learn in store. This seems to be most
prevalent with some mobile phone service providers,” Mrs Doyle said.
Customer gripe: “If they are having a special it should be
known so that the customer has a better experience than
having to tell the sales people what the price is.”
1. Being rude to customers
6. This is the big one. While Canstar Blue research shows slow service is the most
common complaint, customers rate rude behaviour as the most serious offence.
According to shoppers, there is no excuse for rude, arrogant or unhelpful
behaviour, whether it is expressed in tone of voice, bodylanguage or a general
unhelpful attitude.
“This is a common criticism of young staff in particular and although some of
them might point the finger at other people for being equally rude, the customer —
as they say — is always right,” Mrs Doyle said.
Customer gripe: “They treated me extremely badly when I
needed help with my brand new, expensive computer. They
were also rude and dismissive.”
Mrs Doyle said the message for businesses was that customer service was just as
important as providing a good product.
“You will remember poorservice a long
time after you forget how much you paid for
something,” Mrs Doyle said.
“It’s never been more important for
businesses to get their customer service spot
on. The digital age is forcing companies to
up their game as social media has the power
to tarnish a reputation and brand in the blink
of an eye, yet some are still not getting the
message.”
It’s not all bad news, however. Canstar Blue
has rated which companies are getting
customer service right, from a range of industries, which you can view on their
website.
WHAT DO YOU THINK THE TOP 10 BEST-RATED COMPANIES FOR
CUSTOMER SERVICE?
1. WHAT’S YOUR WORST
CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE? FIND
OUT FROM YOUR PARTNER.
2. WHAT MADE IT SO BAD?
3. WHAT COULD HAVE MADE THE
SITUATION BETTER?
4. HAVE YOU EXPERIENCED ANY OF
THESE THINGS? WHEN?
WHERE?
8. 1. AMAZON.COM
2. HILTON WORLDWIDE
3. MARRIOTT INTERNATIONAL
4. CHICK-FIL-A
5. AMERICAN EXPRESS
6. TRADER JOE’S
7. UPS
8. SONY
9. HEWLETT PACKARD
10.APPLE
Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE: HLT) has the best
customer service of any hotel company in the United States. What’s more, the company is one of
just two businesses this year to gain an “excellent” rating for its customer service from more than
40% of respondents.
The company has a long track record of pioneering new initiatives to win the satisfaction of its
guests. In 1947, the Roosevelt Hilton in New York City became the first hotel to offer in-room
television. In 1959, Hilton developed the world’s first airport hotel. And in 1989, the company
instituted a customer satisfaction policy wherein unsatisfied customers are not expected to have
to pay.
Hilton has been able to maintain its customer service focus despite being one of the largest hotel
chains in the world, with over $9.7 billion in revenue and more than 4,000 hotels and resorts
systemwide. After being taken private by the Blackstone Group in 2007, Hilton Worldwide had
one of the largest IPOs in 2013.
Marriott International Inc.(NASDAQ: MAR) is well-regarded for
its customer service and for its commitment to treating its employees fairly. Company founder
Willard Marriott was famous for his hands-on approach — the company notes that he thought
that well-treated employees are key to the company’s success.
Even today, employees at Marriott report being treated well. According to Glassdoor.com, more
than three-quarters of employees would recommend Marriott to a friend, and both the company
and its CEO are well-liked by workers. During the recession, Marriott ensured that all of its
employees kept their benefits despite shortening shifts.
Hyken emphasized that treating employees well contributes to good customer service. Marriott
has been among Fortune’s “100 Best Companies to Work For” every year since the magazine
started producing the list in 1998, one of only a handful of companies to achieve this.
9. Popular reward programs that provide additional benefits for long-time customers, or deals that
offer a free night, are hallmarks of the hotel industry, Praveen Kopalle, professor of marketing at
the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College, explained. “[Marriott and Hilton] have done
an amazing job of managing these programs and it’s showing in customer retention.”
10. WORST 10 COMPANIES
1. CITIGROUP
More than 15% of respondents said they had a “poor” experience with both Citigroup Inc.’s
(NYSE: C) credit card and banking businesses.
However, Citigroup is hardly alone among financial institutions in receiving low ratings for its
customer service. Both Bank of America and Wells Fargo had worse-rated banking operations.
While missing from the bottom 10, Capital One and J.P. Morgan Chase also received low
ratings.
The banking industry as a whole suffers from bad press, likely due to its involvement in the
financial crisis. According to analyst Dick Bove, penalties, regulations and rule changes have
made quality customer service even more difficult to deliver.
“The banks responded by taking away millions of credit cards from customers that they could no
longer do business with on a profitable basis,” Bove said.
While customers gave Citi’s credit card and banking service low grades, the bank performed
well overall in the Pew Charitable Trusts’ most recent annual survey on consumer banking
practices. Citi’s policies include five of the seven “best practices” endorsed by the study.
2. WELLS FARGO
More than 16% of survey participants said their experience with Wells Fargo’s credit card
business was “poor.” Wells Fargo’s banking operations did not fare much better for customer
service. About 15% reported a “poor” customer service experience for Well Fargo as a bank.
The company declined an interview. In written statement, it said that it was committed to
improving customer experience, and that it was “always looking for ways to apply their input
and further strengthen our customer service.”
Although Wells Fargo & Co. (NYSE: WFC) has largely avoided the financial crisis-related fines
several of its competitors paid, it has not been immune to scrutiny. The bank, which is the largest
provider of home loans, was sued by the Federal Housing Authority in 2012 for bad mortgages.
Like other banks, continuous criticism since the financial crisis is likely a major component of
Wells Fargo’s customer dissatisfaction.
According to Bove, bad press is only part of the problem. Strict regulations and large fines can
11. have a considerable impact on customer relations as banks are forced to implement cost-cutting
measures that may inconvenience consumers.
3. AT&T
AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) is hardly the only mobile telephone company that received a
disproportionate number of negative reviews for its customer service. In fact, all four of the
nation’s leading mobile carriers were among the bottom fifth of companies evaluated.
Although the company’s record of customer service is spotty, AT&T has developed several
initiatives designed to improve customer outreach. Among these, the company wrote in its
annual report that it had 70 staffers dedicated to customer care on social media platforms.
Additionally, last year AT&T streamlined its call center menus, cut waiting times, and trained
specialized employees to handle smartphone operating system-related questions.
“Three or four years ago, the customer service at AT&T was very poor, but they really have
come a long way,” Kopalle said. Now, “They pick up the phone pretty fast, they resolve your
situation very quickly.” However, Kopalle noted that AT&T’s service is hardly perfect. “I think
they still suffer from a number of dropped calls. That’s not really a good thing.”
4. AOL
In the years following its spinoff from Time Warner, AOL Inc. (NYSE: AOL) has repositioned
itself as a content provider. AOL owns a number of notable media entities, including
TechCrunch, Engadget and The Huffington Post, some of the most frequently visited sites on the
Internet. AOL also hosts its own homepage, which is still among the Internet’s largest portals.
While AOL no longer brings to mind free CDs and promotions, the company still derives a
major portion of its business from subscribers. In the first quarter, $150 million of its $583
million in revenues came from subscriber payments. The segment also accounted for the bulk of
the company’s operating profits.
AOL’s membership and account business has been criticized in the past for the difficulty
customers had in cancelling their accounts. Some consumers were also annoyed by the number
of unsolicited free AOL install disks they had received in the mail.
5. TIME WARNER CABLE
Nearly 20% of survey respondents said they had a “poor” customer service experience with Time
Warner Cable. In December 2013, the Federal Trade Commission fined Time Warner Cable
12. $1.9 million for charging higher rates to customers with poor credit histories without notifying
them. Charging customers more for a service without their knowledge is likely not a good way to
inspire strong customer service ratings.
Time Warner Cable lost more than 800,000 video users, or nearly 7% of its total, between the
end of 2012 and the end of 2013. This is part of a larger “cord cutting” trend that has cost Time
Warner Cable and its rivals millions of video customers in recent years, as streaming services
such as Netflix have gained in popularity.
In a written response, the company said it had “introduced one-hour appointment windows and
expanded weekend and evening appointment options in a growing number of Time Warner
Cable service areas” to offer better customer service.
Time Warner Cable and Comcast are pursuing a merger. The deal is currently being evaluated by
regulators, who are focused on the impact the deal will have on consumers and customer service.
6. DIRECT TV
More than one in five survey respondents reported a “poor” experience with DirecTV.
Regulators, too, have been critical of the company’s relationship with customers in the past.
DirecTV has been fined for violating customer agreements on multiple occasions over the past
decade.
DirecTV is now awaiting government approval for its merger with AT&T, another company
with a poor customer service rating. Whether the merger will serve the public interest and
improve the DirecTV customer experience remains to be seen. At the very least, the companies
plan to bring broadband service to millions of rural Americans previously outside the range of
service.
DirecTV claims its customer service is better than most companies in the industry. But the
company is one of four cable or satellite TV companies on the Hall of Shame this year. Ensuring
the quality of the product may be easier than ensuring quality customer service. As Hyken
explained, while these companies offer a highly sought-after service, “you have to be home for
four hours and take a half-day off work if you want a guy to install it.”
7. DISH NETWORK
Employees also do not seem to like Dish Network. In reviews on jobs and career community site
Glassdoor.com, employees routinely cited poor pay and the company’s unpleasant working
13. conditions. In both 2012 and 2013, 24/7 Wall St. labeled Dish Network as America’s worst
company to work for.
8. SPRINT
This May, Sprint Corp. (NYSE: S) was fined $7.5 million for failing to honor customer requests
and continuing to deliver unwanted marketing calls and texts. The settlement was the largest do-
not-call penalty the FCC had ever reached. Poor customer treatment such as this may partly
explain Sprint’s exceptionally poor performance on our customer service survey. More than one
in five participants rated the company’s service as “poor.”
In July of last year, Sprint Nextel, the third largest wireless communications company in the
nation in terms of revenue, merged with Softbank. Despite the $22 billion deal, Sprint has
continued to lose subscribers, even as competitors have been adding millions of new customers.
Sprint declined an interview. In a written response, the company claimed it has seen “faster data
speeds, improved overall performance” and “significant reduction in dropped and blocked voice
calls” in areas where 3G voice systems, 4G LTE, and Sprint Spark have been introduced.
In another attempt to improve the company’s position, Sprint is currently expected to pursue a
merger with T-Mobile. The impact on customers remains to be seen. Regulators appear to be
concerned that a deal would reduce options for consumers.
9. COMCAST
The customer experience at Comcast is so bad even CEO Brian Roberts has admitted the
company needs to do better.
Nearly one in four survey respondents reported a “poor” experience with Comcast, which may
explain why the company, like much of the industry, lost video subscribers in the past two years.
Poor customer service ratings may also be due to rising monthly bills. Even as the company shed
subscribers, revenue from video services rose by 2.9% in 2013, due to increased rates and
customers adding services.
The company’s financial report warns investors that potential customer service regulations
imposed by Congress and the FCC could have adverse effects on business. Just this week,
Comcast was embroiled in yet another customer service fiasco when a call of a customer
attempting to cancel the service went viral. Comcast has issued an apology and said it was “very
embarrassed.”
Both Congress and regulators are investigating whether Comcast’s merger with Time Warner
14. Cable will be bad for customer service and customers’ wallets. Both companies are in this year’s
Customer Service Hall of Shame.
10. BANK OF AMERICA
The customer experience at Comcast is so bad even CEO Brian Roberts has admitted the
company needs to do better. Nearly one in four survey respondents reported a “poor” experience
with Comcast, which may explain why the company, like much of the industry, lost video
subscribers in the past two years.
Poor customer service ratings may also be due to rising monthly bills. Even as the company shed
subscribers, revenue from video services rose by 2.9% in 2013, due to increased rates and
customers adding services. The company’s financial report warns investors that potential
customer service regulations imposed by Congress and the FCC could have adverse effects on
business.
Just this week, Comcast was embroiled in yet another customer service fiasco when a call of a
customer attempting to cancel the service went viral. Comcast has issued an apology and said it
was “very embarrassed.”
Both Congress and regulators are investigating whether Comcast’s merger with Time Warner
Cable will be bad for customer service and customers’ wallets. Both companies are in this year’s
Customer Service Hall of Shame.
WHAT DO YOU THINK THE TOP COMPLAINTS WOULD BE FROM GUEST
AT A HOTEL?
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WHAT DO YOU THINK THE BIGGEST COMPLAINTS WOULD BE FROM
DINERS AT A RESTAURANT?
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10.
TOP HOTEL COMPLAINTS
1. EXTRA COSTS FOR INTERNET ACCESS, PARKING,BREAKFAST,ETC.
2. LACK OF SERVICE
16. 3. BREAKFAST CHOICE
4. UNCOMFORTABLEBEDS
5. DIRTY ROOMS
6. UNFRIENDLINESS
7. QUALITYOF BREAKFAST
8. HOTEL DOES NOT OFFER WHAT IT PROMISES
TOP RESTAURANT COMPLAINTS
1. DIRTY UTENSILS
2. DIRTY OR ILL-EQUIPPED RESTROOMS
3. IMPOLITEOR CONDESCENDING SERVERS
4. SERVERSWITH A SLOPPY APPEARANCEOR POOR HYGIENE
5. MEALS OR BEVERAGESSERVED AT INCORRECT TEMPERATURES
6. MEALS THAT ARENOT WHAT YOU ORDERED
7. FEELING RUSHED TO FINISH OR LEAVEBY THE SERVER
8. SERVER REMOVING YOUR PLATEOR BEVERAGEBEFOREYOU
HAVEFINISHED
9. FOOD THAT DOES NOT LOOKOR TASTE AS DESCRIBED ON THE
MENU
10. SLOW SERVICE
