Is Customer Still a King? The Rarity of Good Customer Service in Today’s World

For years, the mantra in business has been that “customer is king.” Regardless of whether you’re dealing with an online or brick-and-mortar store, you’ll often hear companies claim their unwavering commitment to customer satisfaction. But in the age of online commerce, where convenience is paramount, is the customer truly still a king, or are these just empty words meant to attract them?

According to the report by WalkerInfo, customer experience will outshine price and product as the key brand differentiators by 2023. The customer experience (CX) continues to be a decisive factor for many customers. It is important for businesses to understand how a poor service experience would impact their overall brand.

The Frustrating Reality- The Challenge of Online Commerce

In an era of booming online shopping, encompassing everything from household items to healthcare, electronics, food, and groceries, customers are increasingly turning to the digital realm to make their purchases. However, one must ask whether companies are innovating their customer service departments in step with this trend. Sadly, the answer appears to be a resounding “no.”

Every day, we hear friends and family lamenting their negative experiences with companies, recounting tales of how they struggled to reach customer service departments. Even when they did manage to connect, they often found themselves face-to-face with automated bots that either registered their complaint as feedback without resolution or offered a minor discount without addressing the issue. In some cases, if customers did eventually reach a human representative, they were simply instructed to send an email and wait for a response within 24–48 hours. Has the customer, once hailed as king, been reduced to this level of treatment by these companies?

Frequently, customers abandon their complaints due to the time-consuming nature of the process, but this leaves a bitter taste in their mouths and tarnishes the company’s reputation.

Moreover, many businesses have opted for text-based customer service channels, such as those used by food delivery platforms like Swiggy and Zomato. However, even in this scenario, interaction with AI bots dominates, and reaching a human agent often requires navigating a maze of options. As online shopping becomes more convenient by the day, customer service quality appears to be on a steady decline.

Examples Speak Louder Than Words

Consider the case of Swiggy Instamart, an online grocery delivery platform. A customer recently placed an order worth over 1400 rupees, only to find that the delivery partner did not actually deliver the order, despite the app notifying them that it had been delivered. When the issue was raised with customer service, they were unable to provide a swift resolution and instead directed the customer to send an email for a response within 24–48 hours. Despite sending multiple emails with all the necessary evidence, the customer received replies stating that the team could not verify the issue and would not refund the amount.

After two frustrating days, the customer escalated the matter on Twitter. Finally, after this public outcry, they received a response within 24 hours from the Swiggy team, which confirmed that the delivery partner’s GPS data showed they never reached the destination. The amount was refunded, but it took over five days to resolve the issue. This ordeal left the customer wondering whether they should have to wait five days for grocery delivery.

Top Reasons for Bad Customer Service:

• Failure to Offer Real-Time Support: Customers expect immediate responses. According to Hubspot research, “90% of customers rate ‘immediate response’ as very important when they have queries.” This underscores the importance of providing reasonable response times across customer service channels.
• Failure to Resolve Issues in the First Interaction: Customers want their problems solved efficiently. It’s essential to empower customer service teams to handle issues effectively on the first contact.
• Inefficient Customer Support Teams: Companies must invest in training and equipping their customer support teams to deliver top-notch service.
• Lack of Customer Service Etiquette: Politeness and professionalism should always be maintained during customer interactions.
• Not Taking Customer Feedback Regularly: Gathering and acting on customer feedback can help identify and address recurring issues.
• Failure to Humanize the Experience: While customer service bots provide a quicker way to register complaints, it’s important to humanize the experience for issues that require face-to-face communication.

Final Thoughts on Bad Customer Service

Bad customer service poses a significant threat to any business. However, if your business is truly customer-centric, then providing an exceptional customer experience should be the ultimate goal. By making customer experience your top priority, you not only mitigate the negative effects of poor customer service but also build lasting customer relationships and foster brand loyalty. In the age of online commerce, where customers have abundant choices, delivering exceptional service is the key to standing out and ensuring that the customer remains king.