Deb! Thanks so much! This is such a great honor!

Deb S.s last blog post..Blog crush

Brad, I agree, 2 weeks is way too long! Especially for a simple inquiry through a service i doubt too many customers are using.

Deb, there should always be a guaranteed response time. In some cases, for complicated solutions where just establishing what the problem is takes way too long, it might not all happen in the same day. But keeping the customer informed and letting them know you’re working for it helps a lot!

MR C,

I have to contradict you. Dark ages are long gone over here! we’re a few hundred years after that Yes, we need to learn to complain more about customer service, but the worst service in restaurants is not in Romania. I’ve seen far worse in Holland for example

There are quite a lot of Romanian companies providing excellent support and I’ve worked for or with some of them. When it comes to skills, Romanian support engineers are great! Trust me, I speak from experience! I worked in IT support for over a year and was working along side with an American support team. And both us and their customers wanted to kill them

I should also add that this is not a Romanian company! It’s a multinational with quite some experience in customer service. But I suppose they now concentrate more on selling than on keeping the customers happy.

However, the short answer is proactivity and communication.

Romanians are people who are coming out of the dark ages to when it comes to customer services, a person from the west who can relate to several levels of customer services both here and back home is that all too often the population appears to expect bad customer services in romania ..

For example, when I actually have a warranty claim processed without any level of agony , well i might just sing about it.

Service in restaurants, well it’s a random affair when it comes to customer service.

As for professional services, any company who will fall short on any level of customer services will find out one day when it comes back to the tendering stage fot a contract renewal, at that point that they will find out that their level of customer service is not good enough. Customer services at all levels would be appreciated from top to bottom as a customer.

I would like to hear stories of good customer service on this blog (either from a professional services point of view or anywhere else).

In this new generation coming through the ranks of Romania , you all are starting to appreciate the value of this and to be frank through time, it will be the service that delivers the best customer service that will win, stay focused people!

Thank you Alina for your great article.

I’ve held a position where I had oversight of customer service inquiries. My rule was to respond to the customer within 24 hours – the same day, if at all possible.

If we had to check with another department as part of a troubleshooting effort, we’d just say that in the initial response, and then give the customer some idea on when we’d get back in touch.

In the initial reply, we’d make sure that we clearly understood the customer’s issues. I like to ask the customer how he’d ideally like to see the issue resolved. This is especially important if you get a long, rambling rant. The customer may or may not get his wish, but at least he knows you’re listening.

I’ve never had a complaint about this approach. I have received countless thank-yous for the quick response.

Brad Shorrs last blog post..Take the Online Marketing One Question Quiz!

“Whatever you do, do not reply to the email when you don’t fully understand it.”

You could send an email

“I’m currently researching your issue and will get back to you when I’ve uncovered the best solution for your needs.”

That way, nobody is left hanging.

An idea, Barbara

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