Perhaps everything happens for a reason. This gives me a chance to do some research. Before I go into the results of that research, let's talk about customer service satisfaction and it's importance. Perhaps this will be helpful so that there will be a more positive future.
How important is customer satisfaction?
Customers are a business' most important asset!
From one of the richest men in the world:
"It is clear that leading, profitable businesses worldwide share one thing in common - they focus on, listen to, understand, and respond to the needs of their customer." ~~Bill Gates, Chairman and CEO of Microsoft Corporation.
Businesses can live or die, grow or shrivel, by their customer satisfaction level.
"...many managers still think of satisfying their customers as a nice thing to do rather than a critical component of success."
Here are a couple of links that give information about customer satisfaction levels and the effect on a business:
Customer Satisfaction Levels
Seven steps to customer satisfaction:
Seven Steps of Customer Satisfaction
Which include:
1. Encourage Face-to-Face Dealings
2. Respond to Messages Promptly & Keep Your Clients Informed
3. Be Friendly and Approachable
4. Have a Clearly-Defined Customer Service Policy
5. Attention to Detail (also known as 'The Little Niceties')
6. Anticipate Your Client's Needs & Go Out Of Your Way to Help Them Out
7. Honor Your Promises
Businesses may fail to obtain customer satisfaction and increased business if the owners or employees take things personally, and want to be "right" over and above creating a satisfied customer.
Ten Domains of Satisfaction
There are ten domains (quality values) used to determine customer satisfaction:
[] Quality
[] Value
[] Timeliness
[] Environment
[] Ease of Access
[] Efficiency
[] Self-Management
[] Teamwork
[] Commitment
[] Innovation
For more about these areas, use this link:
What Customers Want / Satisfaction Predictors
Is your business kidding itself by thinking that it has good customer service? There is a phenomenon called "customer service illusion"
Let's take a look at the "customer satisfaction illusion".
What does it mean to a business? Is the business honest in evaluating it's own customer service? Or do they concern themselves with being right at the expense of customer satisfaction? If so, are they looking at the big picture? or concerned with "winning" small problem areas?
Customer Emotions
Customer emotions play a big part in customer satisfaction or dissatisfaction.
To create satisfied customers, companies should establish an emotional connection with the customers. This happens as a result of how companies and their employees behave toward customers, how they treat people, and ultimately how customers are made to feel. It will help a business to gain customer satisfaction by working to improve their responsibility in the ten domains of customer satisfaction.
"It costs at least 7 times more to source a new customer than it does to retain an existing one. A 'satisfied' customer tells 5-7 people in a year while a 'dissatisfied' customer will tell 14-20 people."
A customer who has experienced problems in more than half of the ten domains is going to be much more than "dissatisfied".
As a consumer, if emotions are subtracted on our end, for the moment, from the situation with Arthurs Pools, we can objectively look at the Ten Domains and rate their performance in each area. This is my opinion, based on my personal experience:
[] Quality: product was 1) the wrong size, and 2) defective. Score: negative.
[] Value: price charged was higher than advertised. Score: negative.
[] Timeliness: obviously late; very late. Score: negative.
[] Environment: (means: customer feels psychologically valued as customer) No responses at times to email messages (i.e. "FIFTH REQUEST" or phone calls. Score: negative.
[] Ease of Access: (means: adequate interface resources are provided for customer’s convenience) No consistency in follow-through. Score: negative.
[] Efficiency: (means: minimum number of steps possible for fulfillment of customer needs) Too many people involved; not one person ultimately being responsible for the satisfactory completion of the sale. Score: negative.
[] Self-Management: (means: front line personnel are courteous and attentive with subservient / serviceful attitude) One concerned employee, not allowed to bring the order to a satisfactory conclusion; other employees inconsiderate of customer needs and emotions. Score: negative.
[] Teamwork: (means: employees work well together to meet the needs of the customer) No cohesiveness, employees not working together; different stories from different employees. Score: negative.
At this point, Arthurs Pools should objectively rate their own performance in these areas.
Our score for Arthur's Pools, in this situation, is an F. In my opinion, they have failed in all areas of customer satisfaction, in this situation.
Interestingly enough, in the little bit of research done so far, it has been found that we are not the only ones who have that opinion and not the only ones to have given Arthur's Pools a score of "F".
Let's take a look at what one of the other people has pointed out:
Better Business Bureau Rating
An "F" rating by the Better Business Bureau is described as:
"We strongly question the company’s reliability for reasons such as that they have failed to respond to complaints, their advertising is grossly misleading, they are not in compliance with the law’s licensing or registration requirements, their complaints contain especially serious allegations, or the company’s industry is known for its fraudulent business practices."
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