Customer Service or Customer Damage?

We all know the benefits that customer services has upon the consumer. It can help to improve the business or damage it completely. Although many business claim to have good customer, it is a totally different affair when the customer enters the premises. In Jamaica, many businesses claim superior customer service however, the opposite occurs on the premises. I have been to many stores within my island and some I may say "nuh ready yet". Below are the customer service problems that I find with most businesses in Jamaica.

• Knowledge

Many business places in Jamaica seem to have little knowledge of the products that they are selling to the customer. It seems to me that their only concern is just to sell the product. An example is when I went to purchase a keyboard at a computer store in Half Way Tree. When I went to inquire about their stock they just told me about their wide variety however this variety was just limited as in 3 brands. Next I inquired about the specs of these keyboards but I was only told about their prices. She was clueless about their specs because she never heard that term before. Sigh. Another example of lack of knowledge when I called the two major telecommunication companies' customer care representatives for roaming in Central America. First, I called LIME and told they only offer roaming to that region to postpaid customers. Even though I was rejected for my offer, I was well pleased with the level of respect that I received from that agent. Next, I phoned DIGICEL and inform the representative about roaming in Central America. She inquired if Central America was in Europe and also yelled all true the conversation. I was told by a representative that also roaming was not available in that region. Frustrated, I hung up the phone. To the DIGICEL rep, here are Central America.

It is one that I like about any business is knowledge that they have about their products. One company that I must commend is HP Jamaica. These guys know everything about their products plus they can even tell you where you can go to repair your HP Computer.

• Manners

Many times, I have walked into stores and business being greeted by grumpy people. Some of these people don't have any respect for their customers or people in general. Some of the people also have short tempers and enter into disputes with the customers. Some of these employees also show little attention to the customer when they need assistance. Businesses should realize that customer care and service should be designed such that the representative makes the customer feel welcomed. Managers should ensure that the right personality types are sent to the customer and that sales representatives are trained to handle the customer properly. These persons should be patient, smart, diligent and resourceful on the floor. By doing this helps to ensure the customers are treated right. 

• Feedback

Customer Service should ensure that they receive feedback from the customer about their level of service, speed and environment. This will help to ensure that problems with the business are improved for better customer satisfaction. Many companies in Jamaica do not inquire feedback from their customers about their treatment and thus suffer from their mistakes. Feedback also helps to improve their product and performance of their company by finding their weak areas.

In conclusion, customer service needs to be improved for many businesses in Jamaica. Without it, many companies would be forced to close down due to lack of profits. By improving the standard of service, many businesses will be able to survive these tough economic times.