According to a report by the UK Institute of Customer Service, consumers are fed up of delays, late deliveries and appalling customer service. Companies have had to adapt to a different way of working during the pandemic and this has presented a number of challenges. But 2 years down the line, is the Covid excuse for poor customer service wearing thin? How can you get the best post pandemic customer service?
The number of customer service related complaints during the pandemic is at its highest level since 2009, the biggest sectors being transport, telecommunications and local services including GP surgeries and councils. On the other side of the customer service coin, companies such as First Direct, John Lewis and Amazon rate the highest for customer satisfaction.
86% of customers admit that they are willing to pay more for great customer service. Recent predictions were that customer experience would take over price and product as the key purchase determinator and brand differentiator. Customer emotions are running at an all time high and companies just cannot afford to disappoint regardless of the current situation.
If you’re banging your head against a brick wall and are fed up of the old Covid chestnut, how can you get the best post pandemic customer service- without the stress?
Be clear and concise
Stick to the facts and be clear and concise in your complaint. Give clear time frames for responses and state your expectations as to how the issue can be resolved. Summarise the issue in bullet points at the end of your email or letter. This will make it easier for the person who is dealing with your complaint to resolve the issue.
Quote the relevant legislation
Most issues can be dealt with under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 so that’s your legal staple for poor customer service. However support for just about every other consumer query you can think of can be sourced from Which, Money Saving Expert and Citizen’s Advice.
Use a free independent dispute resolution service such as Resolver
It’s a simple process. You just type in the name of the company that you are experiencing problems with on to the Resolver website and once you’ve submitted an issue, your complaint will be sent to the right person or team and escalated accordingly.
Communicate your issue via Twitter DM
If communication by other means has proved unsuccessful then a Twitter DM (Direct Message) may result in a quicker response. Most large companies have open DMs so you can message them even if you do not follow each other.
Take your issue to the top
If you’re being passed from pillar to post with no sign of your issue being resolved then escalate your issue by contacting the CEO directly or cc’ing him or her into your correspondence. You can find contact details for most CEOs via this link.
I hope that above is of use but if you do need further help then please let me know in the comments or contact me directly.
The pandemic may continue but the old Covid excuse for poor customer service is no longer acceptable and needs to stop right now. Don’t be fobbed off.
