I can't get no satisfaction

I am looking to buy a house at the moment and it strikes me that despite the recession supposedly focusing everyone on best practice, the art of customer service seems to still be missing from a lot of organisations.

The housing market in the South East is going through a bit of a bubble at the moment where demand outstrips supply. Estate agents who a year ago would bite your hand off as a buyer are now seemingly unable to return calls, be accommodating with viewing times or keep you in the picture of what is happening.

Some of this will undoubtedly be down to a lot of agencies having cut staffing right back in the slump and those left simply can’t cope with the sudden peak in demand and are running around like headless chickens.

Some of it will also be about attitude. There is a human tendency to take anything readily available for granted. Also the high commission ration means that agents focus on the deals going through, not the whole process around them.

If you know buyers are going to be keen and motivated it’s easy to think “well if they are that keen they should chase me. “
I have seen the same thing happen in the recruitment market. Not long ago the candidate was king and consultants would fall over themselves to chase them to take jobs. Now there are few jobs clients are suddenly being the ones chased and candidates can feel a bit left out in the cold.
This is short term thinking and leaves us as a society bemoaning the standards we receive from many organisations.

True some companies get it right. We have had excellent service from the agents selling our house. And so did prospective buyers. So what is it that makes the difference?
Those managing should pay attention to the service all customers receive. If there is a group getting less than satisfactory service then urgently put in a method of correcting that. Training staff on the golden rules of customer service should be a priority.

Business that employ sales staff but have cut back on admin staff, training, bonuses and perks during the recession, should not automatically expect staff to remain motivated to provide good customer service. This motivation needs to be generated.

Leaders need to make it a priority to be finding out what customers think of the service they are getting as most will not complain to you, they simply won’t use you next time they want to sell or buy, they will not recommend you to others and at worst will actively recommend others don’t use you. Those companies that build long term loyalty are the ones most likely to survive long term.