Business and Financial News

Spin.

It’s what we expect in the political world. Statistics are thrown around with little or no heed to the context or the source. As a friend of mine once told me, “83 percent of all statistics are made up on the spot.” [cue rim shot]

But, of late I’ve been noticing how companies spin their claims of superior customer service. I’ve long held that many companies measure quality by making up a number on a report. I’ve had the opportunity to analyze really poor customer experience in the contact centers of companies who hype their customer satisfaction awards in the media. Statistical claims of superior service can be equally deceiving.

Take Sears product pick-up, for example. I’ve recently found myself going back to Sears to make some major purchases. They are doing a lot of things right, and I’ve been impressed with their employees both in the store and on the phone. I can tell that Sears is making an effort at delivering a great customer experience. Perhaps that’s what my experience this week stand out.

I found myself at the Sears store on Merle Hay Road this past Tuesday. I’d picked up a partial order of patio furniture because it all wouldn’t fit in my vehicle the previous day. “No problem,” I’d been told, “we’ll put your name on it and you can pick up the rest tomorrow. Just show us the receipt.” So, I arrived and scanned my receipt in the kiosk. Nothing. The order had clearly been coded as having been picked-up in full the previous day. So, I entered my name into the kiosk to speak to an associate. In the twinkling of an eye my case showed “completed” on the kiosk status screen. Maybe a glitch. I entered it again. Immediately two other customers came in and scanned their receipts. Their cases appeared below mine on the screen. There were now three open cases for pick-up.

A couple of minutes later, an associate came out and called my name. I gave him my receipt and explained the situation with the partial pick up from the previous day. While he was out in the lobby, he also took the receipts of the two other waiting customers and disappeared into the back.

Suddenly, I looked at the kiosk status screen and noticed that all three of our open cases showed “completed,” yet we all stood there waiting for our merchandise. The associate came out with the second customer’s order and loaded it. He went back without a word as to why the customer who came in after me just received his merchandise before me. A few minutes later the associate came out with the third customer’s order and loaded it. I’d now been standing there for somewhere around 10-15 minutes watching two customers who arrived after me get their merchandise while I was completely ignored. On his way back in, the associate finally stopped me and asked, “So, what was it you were picking up?“

It took another five minutes or so of waiting. All in all, I got my merchandise pick-up completed in somewhere around 20 to 25 minutes. While I was waiting by myself in those final minutes, I noticed the sign on the wall showing that 100 percent of customers had their merchandise pick-up “completed” in less than 5 minutes the previous week. Uh, right. I looked at the kiosk screen that showed my case had been “completed” in just over 3 minutes, but that was over 15 minutes before and I was still standing there. Obviously, Sears defines “completed” as an associate taking your receipt from you and walking into the back room.

I would argue that there is a gap between Sears’ service claim and the reality of the customer’s experience. But, hey, the statistic sure looks good on the wall (and on the report to corporate).

Similar Posts:

• Does Your Brand Change Once the Customer Says Yes?
• TalkTalk sees surge in customers
• Rio Tinto mid-way through share buy-back
• Arby’s Franchise Business Opportunity – Arby’s Franchise Information
• Cautious Plans to Expand After a Grueling Year