Is customer service a lost art, or have the expectations of what it really means changed due to technology and culture? Before the technology boom of email, and recent social media tools, people used to meet face to face, use paper, take notes, and walk away with a shared understanding of goals and deliverables. Then, if the work was delivered on time, on budget, with a smile and achieved the defined goals, it was considered good customer service.
Today, a service provider may consider themselves customer service-oriented if they attend their online meetings, let their customers know what’s going on via email, Linked-In or Twitter, and deliver metrics and reports to prove that their solution was successful – at least from a numbers perspective.
Personally, my goal is to utilize the incredible technology and tools of today, while maintaining a strong relationship with my clients by doing the little things the old fashioned way – meeting in person, doing lunch, sharing current challenges and opportunities, etc.
It really doesn’t have to be one way or the other, does it?
Yeah, being social via media is great, but having a cup of coffee and getting to know each other that way is fun too!
Amen! All of those little things mean more then they used to, simply because they are only done occasionally in this new technologicaL revolution.