Angels Den Blog

We’ve all experienced the frustration of calling the customer services department of a major organisation to discover that their attitude and effectiveness bares no resemblance to the title of their team. Often we get through to a call centre that simply has the role of putting you on hold with some irritatingly jingly music and then instead of dealing with your query they merely act as a messaging service for colleagues who may get back to you later if you’re lucky! While this sort of despicable practice seems to be acceptable for many multinational organisations, if you’re looking for funding investors in business will look for something very different from an SME or start-up.

Investors in business know that the service that is offered to every single customer is what can build a reputation, the loyalty of a client base and a profitable venture. They also know that even a single lapse can crush a new company’s chances at greatness. So investors in business today are looking for the sort of commitment to customer service from entrepreneurs that seems to have been forgotten by some large organisations.

Maybe it’s because I’ve got more cynical with age, but I have come to expect poor customer service. It’s a sorry state of affairs, but we seem to accept the rudeness and the lack of help, the broken promises and the poor attention to detail from companies that we deal with. That’s why, when you find that rare individual who actually deals with your query with diligence, speed and solution, it almost comes as a shock.

Every entrepreneurial book worth its salt does more than just mention the importance of keeping your customers happy, but how can you make sure that your company excels at this all important function?

And the survey says?
Until you’ve asked your customers how they found your levels of service you can only guess at what they’ve thought. Investors in business will have great respect for any firm that asks the right questions of their customers to improve the way they present themselves. It proves a willingness to take on board comments and change, to better meet the needs of their customers and therefore increase business prospects.

Proper training and standards
Recently I called a company that one of the UK’s most prestigious store groups recommended for the repair of the equipment they sell. This is how the conversation started:

Person who picked up the phone – “…Yes”
Me – “Er, hi. Is that …..?”
Person who picked up the phone “[mumble] wait a moment”
Someone else – “Yeah”

Now this is not uncommon, but because of the unprofessional manner in which the phone was answered and my query dealt with, my impression of the company was equally poor. What’s worse is that I’m likely to mention this to others and this is how a poor reputation is born and how investors in business loose the shirts. With proper standards established and a little training for everyone who answers the phone, meets customers face-to-face or represents the company in any way, employees will know how to present their firm in its best light.

A little extra time
We all remember a store for the shop assistant who takes the time to smile and ask how our day is going. We all remember the multinational conglomerate for the customer services officer who finds a solution to our issue. Unfortunately we also remember every obnoxious little oik that reads out a pre-approved speech explaining why they can’t help, every sales person too bored to sell you anything, and every individual you speak to at the other end of the phone who somehow gets cut off while you’re talking to them.

Canny investors in business will canvass opinion from customers to see what the general impression of a company’s customer service is. After all investors in business will not wish to be associated with a poorly-regarded organisation that could be to the detriment to their reputation as well.

The mystery is in the shopping
Mystery shopping is a well-established business these days ¬¬– instructing teams of people to phone, pop into offices or shops or order online to see what the customer service is like throughout the buying process. They may be instructed by the owners of a company or those considering becoming investors in business. The reports these days can be quite detailed and can indicate where the customer experience is lacking, so changes can be made.

In conclusion
Problems happen, mistakes are made and people sometimes just like to complain. But effective customer service is about listening to the question or query, solving issues rapidly and effectively, and delivering on your promises. Every interaction with a customer, whether it starts for a positive or negative reason, can be your opportunity to prove that you are on the ball, that your company is different from the rest, and that you can provide a service memorable for the right reasons. For investors in business the importance of this is second only to profitability.