Technology is a remarkable tool for all businesses. Today we have incredible computers, telephone systems and office machines, and unprecedented access to information. This technological revolution is here to stay for at least the foreseeable future and with it comes the opportunity for customer service to really shine.
There are now more ways than ever before to communicate with our customers: telephones, mobile phones, facsimiles, e-mail, the regular post, and of course, the main advertising media of radio, television and newspapers. For many people, keeping up with the rapid technological changes can be somewhat daunting. For those that do, it is liberating. The time and money that can be saved using the new technology is astounding.
I constantly promote staying in touch with your customers as a good form of customer service. Sending a short e-mail occasionally is an excellent way of staying in touch without being invasive or overly time-consuming.
Computers and their associated software have made it a lot easier for businesses to produce quality in-house promotional material such as newsletters that enable you to stay in touch with your customers. Websites are another excellent way to disseminate information and they can serve as a 24-hour-a-day customer service representative.
It's important to note here that there is a difference between staying in touch and stalking. A number of suppliers send me a couple of e-mails everyday - and they are graphics-intensive e-mails so they take a while to download an clog up my e-mail. I don't even read them - I simply send them to the trash - but I still have to go through the process of downloading them. This isn't clever; it's overkill and it stops me wanting to use these businesses. I have continually asked these companies to stop sending me information, but they ignore my requests. This is the ultimate in bad service. If I could just get a monthly update on their products and services, I would be more inclined to use them.
Use technology to increase the level of service that you offer, but don't abuse the relationship just because it's easy to communicate.