Do you still remember when online shopping was first introduced or when you were first referred to receive the desired information online rather than from a representative? I still remember being irritated and annoyed by it…

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I recently went to get a new suit at Macy’s as they offer a great variety of products and always good discounts. While the customer service wasn’t bad, I got annoyed as I wasn’t in control of the experience and the representative didn’t lead the dance of the experience either. He seemed too busy taking care of other customers to provide me with the personalized service I was hoping for, and I had the feeling that he wasn’t interested in going beyond of what he felt were his job duties. In comparison I always buy my suit shoes over macys.com and always have the best experience. It’s convenient, fast, and uncomplicated and I never have to deal with any attitude or indifference of an employee.

Is this the end of customer service? Do we prefer online shopping as it’s uncomplicated and we don’t have to deal with or depend on anyone else anymore?

I believe it really depends on how well-trained the representative is, if it’s just an average and unmemorable experience, if we get the feeling that we annoy the representative with our stupid questions and that we are even a burden, or if we get the feeling that the customer is still king… and If we don’t go back to the roots of the customer is king principle, it’s definitely the end of customer service…

But if the person providing the service knows what he is doing, is knowledgeable about the service and product, passionate about his job, and truly cares about the customer service, we would prefer this personalized experience over having to buy our products online anytime. The challenge is that many companies constantly increase the workload of their employees, provide less training and guidance, and struggle in conveying their mission statement in a way that everyone can believe in the company, its vision and want it to succeed.

If your company truly believes in the service profit chain and that you’ll be successful following it, you have a good chance of staying competitive.

The pros of online shopping are the convenience of being able to compare prices quickly, check ratings, the choice of many different stores and brands at your fingertips, not having to leave home or having to deal with the attitude or indifference of an employee. Once the last barriers of online banking like the need for a better credit card security and faster delivery are overcome, offline shopping will struggle even more than it is already now.

Only if we are still able to provide our customers with an experience when walking into our business, and only if we are able to enhance from a sole transaction of money for goods or service to an interaction that builds an emotional connection, customer service stands a chance to survive.

Customer service representatives need to be able to provide a comfortable shopping experience while understanding each client as an individual with his own needs and wants and cater to them. This customer focused culture is always set by the leadership team of the company.

Related posts to customer service are:

• How to handle guest complaints
• The key to prevent most guest complaints
• Great companies focus on great products and service, not on profit

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