Complete the Puzzle for Better Customer Service

By Kristina Evey • May 18th, 2010

Complete the Puzzle

I recently had an issue where I needed to hire an expert to fix the problem. It was a technical issue and the associates were very friendly and more than helpful. There were many things that had to be done and processes to be double checked before I could use the application again. My challenge was this…. since there had been so much communication throughout the process, I was waiting for an email to let me know that the work had been completed before I went back to work.

An entire day passed and no notice that the work had been done. I finally tried to use the application myself and found that it appeared to be functioning as it should. But, in my mind, there was the concern that perhaps it wasn’t completely done yet since I had not heard that everything was complete.

Needless to say, the work had been done, they just hadn’t let me know.

The point here is that I feel it is very important to complete the puzzle for your customer. They are happy to know that a task has been completed, that the problem has been resolved, and that they can now do whatever it is they were trying to do in the first place. You personalize the service when you touch base with them to let them know that the work is complete, instruct them how to use/do “it,” and ask them for any questions they may have. Customers value that personal touch of the personal follow through. They provided very good customer service throughout the process. It would have completely resolved my anxiety over the technical issues had I known for certain that things were in place for me.

The customer’s highest need is certainty. Especially if the issue is in an area where they do not feel confident or have a lot of background knowledge, it is helpful to personalize the service by contacting them to let them know what was done, why the issue happened in the first place, and how to prevent it from happening again. Customers appreciate a bit of background information along with limited directions. I say limited because there are some areas where customers just don’t want to know how to fix the issue – they take comfort in knowing that you are there to help them and solve the problem.

Please remember that the customer is happy when the work is done, but they appreciate the personal touch when you contact them to let them know that because of what you did, they can now progress in the desired direction.