Anyone who remembers the goodwill Johnson & Johnson earned for promptly and publicly responding to reports of tampering with Tylenol bottles should understand the importance of keeping customers fully informed if something goes wrong with a product or service.
Yet every day, we receive fresh evidence that some people in customer-facing jobs either never got or have forgotten the message. Or perhaps they've forgotten they're in customer-facing jobs. Read this example from the world of public transportation and see if you can figure out which of these apply:
It's a weekday afternoon, and I'm headed to South Philly to catch a bus to a job fair. Luckily for me, there's a southbound local train waiting for the connecting express in the Walnut-Locust subway station. The express train arrives, unloads its transferring passengers, and leaves to lay over for the northbound trip. Our train still sits there, doors open, nothing moving, for about five minutes. Then the doors close and we're on our way after a short delay.
Three stops later, our train opens its doors and sits at the platform. And sits there. And sits there. Five minutes turn into 10, and 10 into 15. The trains have public-address systems that the operators can use to make announcements. They remain silent throughout. Looks of worry begin to spread through the train car. "At this pace I could walk to Snyder Avenue," I say - and another passenger, who has concluded that this is yet another case of SEPTA incompetence, decides to do just that.
About two minutes after that, the doors close and the train gets under way again, with five cars full of confused and upset passengers who have just lost 20 minutes of their lives on board.
At Snyder, I learned the reason for the delay from a track crew member standing on the platform: Signal troubles have forced the shutdown of one of the two tracks from Snyder south to the end of the line.
This bit of information, relayed by the operator to the passengers aboard the train, would not have shortened the delay, but it would have relieved their anxiety.
As I exit the station, the crew's supervisor is making an announcement over the radio: "Attention all Broad Street operators. Please inform your passengers of the delay. We are getting reports from passengers that they aren't being told what is going on."
Just as that rider did, customers who conclude they're not being told what's really happening will quit you.
Get the information you need to advance your career at Customerservicejobs.com.
Yet every day, we receive fresh evidence that some people in customer-facing jobs either never got or have forgotten the message. Or perhaps they've forgotten they're in customer-facing jobs. Read this example from the world of public transportation and see if you can figure out which of these apply:
It's a weekday afternoon, and I'm headed to South Philly to catch a bus to a job fair. Luckily for me, there's a southbound local train waiting for the connecting express in the Walnut-Locust subway station. The express train arrives, unloads its transferring passengers, and leaves to lay over for the northbound trip. Our train still sits there, doors open, nothing moving, for about five minutes. Then the doors close and we're on our way after a short delay.
Three stops later, our train opens its doors and sits at the platform. And sits there. And sits there. Five minutes turn into 10, and 10 into 15. The trains have public-address systems that the operators can use to make announcements. They remain silent throughout. Looks of worry begin to spread through the train car. "At this pace I could walk to Snyder Avenue," I say - and another passenger, who has concluded that this is yet another case of SEPTA incompetence, decides to do just that.
About two minutes after that, the doors close and the train gets under way again, with five cars full of confused and upset passengers who have just lost 20 minutes of their lives on board.
At Snyder, I learned the reason for the delay from a track crew member standing on the platform: Signal troubles have forced the shutdown of one of the two tracks from Snyder south to the end of the line.
This bit of information, relayed by the operator to the passengers aboard the train, would not have shortened the delay, but it would have relieved their anxiety.
As I exit the station, the crew's supervisor is making an announcement over the radio: "Attention all Broad Street operators. Please inform your passengers of the delay. We are getting reports from passengers that they aren't being told what is going on."
Just as that rider did, customers who conclude they're not being told what's really happening will quit you.
Get the information you need to advance your career at Customerservicejobs.com.
By: Sandy Smith
Sandy Smith is an award-winning writer and editor who has spent most of his career in public relations and corporate communications. His work has appeared in The Philadelphia Inquirer, the Philadelphia CityPaper, PGN, and a number of Web sites. Philly-area residents may also recognize him as "MarketStEl" of discussion-board fame. He has been a part of the great reserve army of freelance writers since January 2009 and is actively seeking opportunities wherever they may lie.
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