It's a BIG deal

Today, millions of Americans are still experiencing the pain of the recession. In fact, I'm sure we've all been affected by the recession. Either directly or indirectly, whether it’s a friend or family member that has been layed off, you’re facing a foreclosure, or trying your best to avoid bankruptcy. Case in point, a dear friend of mine shared with me a more recent conversation she had with a Washington Mutual (Chase) Collections Manager. I was sitting in my office when I received the text message. What I read had me sitting in stunned disbelief.

So what did the text message say and how is it relevant to the conferencing business? The Conferencing business is a big deal. Many of our customers have included conference calling services in their business plans as a means to communicate to their own customers, sell their own product and services, and to compete on a global level. To these customers, conferencing is a big deal and we at ConferenceSuite are honored to have been included in the most important part of their business.

Unfortunately, things happen...and the best laid plans don't always go as..well, planned. In this case, we sometimes have to send a customer to collections. For most, it's an embarrassing time. Nevertheless, they are still our customer. We did not choose them. They chose us and more often than not they passed positive feedback about our business along to others. That said; here at ConferenceSuite we operate under the idea that word of mouth is not viral, relationships are.

So what did the text message say you ask?

"You don't rate customer service, if you want customer service pay your mortgage on time!". Those were the exact words of a Washington Mutual (Chase) Collections Manager after being told that one of her collection representatives were being unjustifiably rude. Good old, what have you done for me lately customer service. The Collection Manager went on to say, "I don’t believe that my number one collector was rude to you". Mind you, Chase did not call my friend to collect on a debt. To avoid foreclosure, my friend called Chase to pay on her mortgage.

Being downsized is a big deal and foreclosing on the American dream is an even bigger deal. So I ask..What message is your collections department sending your customer? Yes..customer. Does your business offer unconditional customer service or is your customer service conditioned only for paying customers?

This is a call to all businesses. Your customers want to be loyal so now is the time to ensure loyalty with your customers. These are challenging times for us all and there hasn’t been a better time to show our customers what we’re really made of, what matters? Get back to the basics of customer service. Listen, understand, and satisfy or peeve a customer and through word of mouth (and the internet) literally thousands of potential customers can be won or lost. How your customers perceive your business today, during these troubled times may very well define your company tomorrow. Don't Chase your customers on the way out.

Businesses worldwide confidently rely on ConferenceSuite to deliver the best audio, web and video conferencing services at the best rates. For more information, visit http://www.conferencesuite.com