Mobile Edition
Print
Get the Mag
Weekly Updates"You have heard of road rage and blind rage, but have you ever heard of customer rage? From my own experiences and after listening to a client recently, I wonder if this is the latest "rage."
Sally, angry and distraught, made an appointment to see me. Knowing that I wrote about stress-related issues, she wanted to let me know of a recent experience.
A two-year-old kitchen appliance, no longer under warranty, had stopped working in Sally's home. She called the company's repair division and was told that a technician would come to her house to diagnose the problem. Although the appliance signaled a code number that pretty well defined the problem, the company insisted on this preliminary diagnosis, which entailed a rather hefty fee. Furthermore, the visit could not be booked for about two weeks, so Sally would be without the use of her appliance during that time. Since Sally felt she had no option, she grudgingly accepted the date and the terms laid out by the customer rep.
When the repairman came to the house, he told Sally what was wrong (which was what the code had indicated) and said the part would have to be ordered. This procedure, however, would take additional time as the part was back ordered. Sally felt she had no choice other than to go ahead with the project. She was told to call the company to check on the part. By now, Sally saw she was in the midst of a very inefficient organization. Little did she know that the worst was yet to come.
She called customer service and it took forever to get through a maze of contradictions and mind-boggling difficulties. Sally told me she was exhausted by the time she finally reached someone who could help her. She had to keep repeating the story as there was no one person in charge of this very simple project: Order the part, find out if it's in inventory, and set up an appointment as soon as possible.
After two more weeks had passed, the appliance was finally fixed. By now, Sally was furious and did not want to pay the exorbitant labor fee. She felt that this process had caused her great inconvenience not only because she was without the appliance for such a protracted period but also due to the time and aggravation of the process itself. She was told the company would not waive the fee.
Sally, in her frustration, wrote a letter to the person in charge of the division explaining what had happened. She felt that she could not be the only one experiencing such inefficiency and was determined to let senior management know what was happening in the field.
A couple of weeks later, Sally received a form letter from customer service thanking her for letting them know of her problem, assuring her of their very high standards, and apologizing for any inconvenience this may have caused her. Sally's rage kicked into high gear. She felt completely impotent in her effort to get anyone to listen. She was astounded that the person in charge of this division didn't appear interested or concerned about what was happening to customers. And this was what triggered Sally's visit to me. She felt so angry, so powerless to get anyone to listen to her that she began to think she had been wrong to complain. Was she?
How does senior management learn what is going on in the field if they don't solicit and welcome feedback from customers? Is there a connection between senior management's receptiveness and responsiveness to problems in the field and company success? Is there a mechanism in place to respond to customers' frustrations? How does senior management keep abreast of problems and make every effort to solve them? Is there a reliable process to communicate up as well as down? Who is responsible?
As a result of her experience, Sally vows never to do business with this company again. If Sally is not alone in her feelings about this company, then you have to recognize customer rage as a real issue that can undermine the success of an organization. What does it take to send a message to management to wake them out of their complacency? Don't underestimate the power of customers--they're the ones who pay your salary.
Eileen Berman, Ed.D., is a practicing psychologist and consultant in Rhode Island. She is also the author of two books, Dealing Effectively with Job Loss and Building Productivity. E-mail her at eileen22@access4free.com with comments or suggestions.
FEED