Why is customer service so tough?

I’ve met a few industry contacts in the last weeks, and apart from the fact that we all have an interest in the future of automotive distribution, the other thing in common is that we all have our premium German cars serviced at the same location.  Life should be so easy for them – a strong OEM brand, waiting lists, a residual value premium associated with a dealer service history, some of the highest labour rates in the industry and consistently high dealer profitability.  You would have thought that in such a sunny world, there would be space for excellence in customer service – yet the other thing that my contacts and I share is a profound level of dissatisfaction with the quality of service at this dealership.  This is not unique to this dealership or this brand, or to the automotive industry specifically.  It seems that delivering high quality customer service – whether in a dealership, other retailers, healthcare environment or elsewhere – is the exception rather than the rule.

Too often, we are faced with the stereotypical ‘Rottweiler’ at a reception desk – an individual who seems more concerned with guarding the precious time of his or her colleagues, than enabling a smooth customer experience.  As the former owner of two Rottweilers, I am the first to defend the breed.  The negative image that they seem to attract is the consequence of lack of training, or training that focuses on the wrong attributes, rather than any inherent failure of the dog.  However, that does not make Rottweilers the natural choice for every would-be dog owner.

If we then come back to customer service interactions, we are clearly a long way away from 100% customer self-service in car sales or service, or those various other retail and personal interactions that can be so frustrating.  There are some indicators that where customers have the opportunity to self-serve, and the technology works, they appreciate this.  However, that still leaves many interactions where we are dependent on staff to interact with customers, determine their needs and aim to fulfil them in a way that satisfies them, and delivers long term value to the business.  This is where many industries and public organisations repeatedly fail, yet it is the area which our consumer research suggests is most influential on sales and aftersales purchases – do I believe in and trust the people I am dealing with?  Speaking as a frustrated customer, I would like to suggest a few areas that any organisation could and should focus on if they want to truly excel in customer service.

The first is that we need to resource for success.  That is not purely a numbers game – the dealership I referred to earlier has plenty of hostesses who will welcome you with a smile and sit you down with a coffee whilst you wait – and wait – for someone with the knowledge to help you to finally come and see you.  As a customer, I do not want hostesses, even if they are specified in some misguided dealer standards.  I want more of the people who can actually provide answers and solutions.  Even then, it is not simply headcount, it is about the right resource.  In the past we have enjoyed a relationship with Andrew McMillan, formerly with the John Lewis department store chain when they knew something about customer service (now sadly forgotten, and therefore joining the ranks of frustrating businesses to deal with).  One of his key messages was ‘hire for attitude, fire for attitude.’  If we hire people who are not empathetic with customers, who do not want to generate happy, loyal customers, then we should not be surprised when they fail to achieve those outcomes.  Going back to my theme, if you want a lap dog, don’t pick a Rottweiler.

The second point I would focus on is the need to be clear about what the desired outcome is, train for that and then ensure that is what you are measuring against and rewarding for.  If you measure queuing times, then don’t be surprised when questions that should have been answered are left unanswered, and customers feel that they were not properly listened to.  This clearly links back to the question of being properly resourced, but if you are also properly organised, then workload can be spread, more time spent with each customer, and more value derived from each interaction.  That was one of the lessons learned during the pandemic when more appointments were pre-booked and time was available to devote to each customer as an individual.  What is the most important objective – making live easier for those planning workshop schedules or making life easier for customers who become advocates of your business and spend more with you?

In the interest of wordcount, I will offer one final recommendation.  Whilst many customer requirements are simple and repeatable – lending themselves to strong processes and some degree of automation, others are not.  We are not talking about manufacturing where all the inputs can be tightly defined and controlled.  Customers are different and some of their still reasonable requests and requirements cannot be satisfied through rigid processes and by-the-book training.  We need to have people at the front line who understand when and where to depart from process and are empowered to do so.  This is a flexibility that is well established and well documented in organisations like Ritz Carlton Hotels and Disney, but is still remarkably absent in automotive and elsewhere.

Going back to my Rottweilers, we need to decide what character our businesses should be adopting, what the profile is of the people who are best equipped to deliver that, give them the appropriate training and strong process and technology support, and then reward them when the outcomes align with the original objectives.  If we hire the wrong people, train them in the wrong skills and define processes and rewards that are counter to excellent customer service, we should not be surprised when it all goes wrong.  However much the industry changes, customer service will always be a differentiator – we should all be aiming to be ‘best of breed’ in that area.