Hello to all of you in the food industry, from the secret office of Pinky and the Brain! 2020 is the year that Pinky and the Brain put small talk aside and actually start voicing the need in our industry! 2020 is BIG and we think it must start with a huge change in our approach to client service! We pay… we are supposed to receive the best client service, which is the claim of every company out there! Maybe in 2020… we can receive the best client service… well, maybe let’s aim for at least good customer service…
2020 has proved to be a challenging year to say the least. What with COVID-19 turning the world upside down, we may lose focus on the real issues that make a business successful. At a time like this, when it seems survival is the only objective, let us not lose sight of the basics including quality client service.
Here at our headquarters, we did some research on client service to find out what those two words mean, exactly. Hold on to your chairs! You will be shocked to realise what client service actually is:
- Having good relationships with your clients
- Understanding customer needs
- Continuously reviewing the customer’s service needs and processes
- Practicing ethical sales tactics (do not “oversell” or give unethical advice/service)
- Educating and training the client where needed
- Being responsive to client concerns
- Developing a long-term relationship with your clients
While Pinky and the Brain were busy taking over the world (as usual), we realized that client service in the food industry in South Africa is becoming non-existent… it has disappeared, just like the salaries in our bank accounts that we last received in 2019! We need to make a stand and leave the companies that are giving us bad service behind… even if these companies have been around for decades…! We have to start trusting the new kids on the block, that actually focus on and understand client service – and we do not mean only the initial part of client service, but actually companies that are capable of educating and training their clients where needed… companies that focus on ethical practises and who are not overruled by profit… companies that want to develop a long-standing relationship with their clients – one based on good service!
It is time that we, as clients and consumers, start voicing the fact that we deserve the best quality! If your company is preaching excellent client service – this year, it better be living up to it! Poor service is unacceptable! Trying to talk with operation systems when key account managers should be available to make life much easier for us seems rather counter-productive. Companies must realize that we as customers actually need the feedback and follow-up. In which movie have you ever seen the villain phoning the superhero to tell them where they are? In which story book have you read that the ship lost at sea phones the rescue team, giving them the coordinates of where they are? In which life does the person owing someone money, calls them to remind them of how much he owes? Why… why are we the ones paying hard-earned money to companies for great service, yet we are also still doing all the effort, while refusing to let go of these reputable companies??
All this talk about bad service, has made us …want to wash our hands
Till next time – yes, we do not eat everywhere –
Pinky and The Brain!
