As a customer, I recently faced a classic case of ‘Customer Care Centers’. This case regarding data speed was with my mobile telecom operator.
Having shifted to 4G on my I-phone and having subscribed to rolling data plan, I expected internet speed to go higher. However, exact opposite happened. My data speed went so low that in about 2 months I accumulated huge amount of data due to usage inability. I had complained many times on customer care lines and personally visited their customer care center. Surprisingly each time I noticed executives handling my case with standard approach despite past complaints and better record of issues I faced. They administered same set of questions, same set of answers, same checks and re-iterated same call back procedures etc. They never got down to solving real problem or to understanding why it could be happening in the first place? I was left frustrated and disturbed at the end of it all, save additional time I spent dealing with executives and personally visiting their store.
This case reminded me that evolution of technology has taken away ‘commonsense’ from daily operations of corporate systems. Customers with real problems are stranded behind decentralized processes having no-one to take end-user responsibility. There are millions of such cases with operators of web integration around world. Customers or end-users who are supposed to be provided with solutions are left frustrated without solutions. Technology that used to be the means is now becoming the ends.
This invisible role reversal (customer to technology) is the fundamental shift in disturbing trade structure.
Also, whenever there’s a rapid change there’s a mass transition. It results in a commercial race for securing maximum share of the pie. However, mass means huge numbers. To serve the numbers well, it’s important to place adequate resources to establish fundamental connections. This is where hungry corporates fail in delivering quality. They fail at building quality resources for strong consumer connections. This results in sellers biting off more than they can chew while leaving customers disturbed.
An apt counter example to this could be of customer interaction with organizations like American Express who build quality before quantity. Customers feel truly empowered after each interaction with such organization regarding their issues.
There are many new products and services flooding market places every day. For ease, convenience, style and newness, many new products launch fancy advertising for mass appeal. You shouldn’t buy every product in the market because it is the latest buzz word and many people are buying it. Identify your real need and see if the product in question is useful to your real need. Buy only if you are going to use it well. Buy only if the product is going to solve your problem. That way you could be a true solution seeker willing to help solution providing company to improve their products.
Support only those services you believe in. That way the company who services will get authentic loyal customers. It helps them build better resources and systems for long term relationship. It’s a win-win situation for both seller and buyer.
Lastly, it’s important for sellers to remember that their end goal is end user. Whenever there is any disruption, the answer can always be sought by end-user goals in mind. That way they can truly become real solution provider.
Afterword:
Fundamental need of any commerce/trade is to fill gap between two parties, seller and buyer. A gap of buyer’s solution seeking is filled by seller’s solution providing. It’s only because of the NEED-GAP that the commerce exists.
This NEED-GAP is filled with relevant SOLUTION i.e a product/service
Epilogue:
To all professionals: Whenever there’s confusion about roles, goals and outcomes of selling, always ask this simple question.
Who’s the end-user of my product or service?
Answering this question with relevant information will remove doubts on most of your actions. It can also remove biases incorporated during inadequate or irrelevant participation from clients and bosses.
Re-set your actions aiming end-user goals. Be prepared with adequate homework in case of expected inquiry. Monitor your progress. You will always be better-off!
