What are your customers saying about you?
Our customer’s opinions of us can spread, they are difficult to take back and they can hurt. Our customer’s words can dissolve our credibility not only with our customers, but also our potential future customers.
Some of our loyal bank customers might have enough respect for us to raise issues to our face, but too often, armed with a smart remark, a social media soap box and a quick-firing keyboard, customers can and will use their power to lay waste to the reputation of any company by whom they have been wronged.
Take a look at some of the comments we’ve recently received from banking customers:
SAMPLE VERBATIM, feedback from a new account interaction
SAMPLE VERBATIM, feedback from a phone center interaction
SAMPLE VERBATIM, feedback after using internet banking
“I opened a new business account 6 months ago because I wanted more flexible online and cash management services. I haven’t been disappointed in your product offerings. What has been disappointing, however is your response time. There is a link to “contact us” or “email us” (can’t remember what it says), and I’ve entered questions on two occasions. I’ve received a mass email back that I’ll be contacted, but then I never am, and I end up having to call someone. This needs to be fixed. If there isn’t really anyone there to answer my request, the feature should be removed.”
SAMPLE VERBATIM, CU client, feedback from teller interaction
What do best in class organizations do?
Let’s face it. Even the best organizations make mistakes sometimes. There is no perfect organization, and there is no spotless reputation in the banking industry. Customers will say what they want to say and it’s a huge mistake to act on the defensive. “Best in Class Organizations” follow the two “BE’s” of managing customer complaints (“be responsive” and “be proactive”). While we might not have the ability to control our customer’s message, we do have the ability to seek their input, offer solutions, and in the process funnel those complaints through a channel where we can control the response more effectively.