Bad vs Good Customer Service

In the modern digital age, customer service is very important. We engage with brands and companies regularly, and not always things go as planned. We all can tell the difference between good and bad customer service. 

Bad customer service and the consequences

Bad customer service can be defined as when a business fails to meet the customer expectations in terms of service quality, response time, or overall customer experience. What was your absolute worst customer service experience? If you stopped doing business with the company and told all your friends about it, you’re not alone. And your customers will likely do the same. 

Bad customer service drives customers away. Companies have to bear serious consequences when their customer service is poor.  Why? Because consumers have changed. Back in the past, they had a couple of options to choose from, and finding an alternative product or service was time-consuming and difficult. Therefore, even after getting poor treatment, they would stick with the company. 

Now, it is entirely different. No matter what product you get, which service you choose, there will be many alternatives available. If the customer feels mistreated and the customer service is not up to the mark, they will move on without a doubt.

The most important aspects of a bad customer experience

There were many surveys asking people worldwide to pinpoint this answer. It might not surprise you to learn what the top answer is. The most important aspects are:

• Slow response times.
• The automated system that makes it hard to reach a human agent.
• Having to repeat information many times.

Definitely, slow service and wasted time are two major annoyances for customers. In fact, it’s not something you can afford to ignore in today’s digitally connected world.

What is good customer service then?

Basically, the answer is very simple. Good customer service means solving a customer’s question quickly and effectively. Customer expectations have never been higher, the majority of customers expect service to be faster than it was five years ago.

The most important qualities of good customer service

According to the surveys, they are:

• Resolving problems quickly, 65%.
• Support available 24/7, 44%.
• The friendly agent, 33%.
• Finding answers online without contacting the agent, 24%.

It shows that the key to good customer service is delivering speed, convenience, and friendliness. 

Interestingly, even if solving a problem lasts longer than it should, but the agent is friendly, it’s still great service, according to one- third of the respondents. But, it’s also worth noting that “self-service” is on the rise, and if people can solve their own problems without waiting for a customer service representative, they’re happy to do it. 

As many as 98% of customers say, they’ve already tried a self-service solution, even going so far as to search a company’s FAQs, before trying anything else. And almost 25% say, they would attempt self-serve options first if available. It seems, giving customers an option of good and efficient self-service, not only gives them more possibilities, but can decrease the number of tickets submitted, reduce handling times, and improve their overall experience. 

But it must be a good and efficient option, in contrast to “Automated system that makes it hard to reach a human agent”, pointed out by the respondents as a bad customer experience. In today’s digital age world and especially for online businesses, it’s not enough to just have a good product anymore, companies are competing in delivering exceptional customer service too.

What was your best customer service experience? What was worst? Share your story or perhaps your opinion on our customer service efforts. As always, I’m here to help!

Brought to you by Chris Jaworski

My very first contact with computers and programming was in the 1980s, while getting my Masters of Engineering degree. Despite the fact that most of my past professional experience was more “analog engineering”, I find the skills obtained there (analytical thinking, problem solving, general understanding of technology) very useful in the digital era.