While carrying out a project on the practices of the customer service/experience in the business field for one of my classes, I discovered a very interesting factor about “big” American corporations. THEY DO NOT CARE ABOUT THEIR CUSTOMERS AS MUCH AS THEY PROMOTE!
I am not racist or a nationalist. However, compared to the customer service that I received from corporations while growing up in Korea, I could not hide my disappointment toward American corporations.
Customer Changes
When industrialization first started, the customer only focused on the quality of the product. Thus, if the company provided a good quality product, they perceived the company as it is fulfilling its obligation. However, gradually customers started to not only look at the product but also to value the service that they received from the company.
Korean corporations sensed the changes within the customer culture, and improved the customer service/experience to meet the customer’s needs. For instance, one of the reasons why Samsung became successful in Korea is due to its customer service/experience. If the customer has any problems with any products from Samsung, he or she can call anytime to request technicians. Once the appointment is made, the technician is never tardy and never miss their appointments without prior notice. If it is a remote troubleshooting for a device like a laptop or desktop, the technicians will be available as soon as the customer calls the representatives. Through this service, customers feel like they are being treated right, trust the company, and become loyal.
Apple's Customer Service
Compared to Korean corporations, many American corporations have not improved the customer service/experience even though the customers' needs have changed, and still act like a “king” towards their customers.
Let’s compare Apple to Samsung. When I first bought my 13-inch Macbook Air, I ran into a problem within the first two weeks. The display kept getting turned off randomly. I took it to the Apple store to fix it (I totally understand if the company cannot send technicians, but what about trouble shooting?), it took an entire day for the technician to check. Since the technician could not figure out what was wrong, the laptop was sent back to China to get fixed (due to the manufacture location). It took about three weeks until I got my laptop back. It was not a pleasant experience at all because I needed my laptop for school purposes. Moreover, instead of the company letting me know the process for fixing my laptop, I had to call the company constantly to check on the process. Did the representative apologize to me about the delay or offer to update me on the process through email? NOPE! There was none of that.
Concluding with John Gerzema "The Post-crisis Consumer"
This is John Gerzema’s talk on Ted. He is an expert in consumer behavior and financial performance. He said that it is time for corporations to perceive what customers want and change and improve the service for them. Without improving the customer service/experience, it is only a matter of time before corporations will lose profits due to lost customers.
