Customer service and PR....

Customer service and PR – the inextricable link

I am a hassled man. The last ten days have been one of the most frustrating for me, having to deal with my internet company which has possibly the worst customer care service in the whole world. The same applies to my credit card company. And did I forget my phone company ? Think of bills arriving late, and a lot of times not arriving at all; unless I kick a fuss about it. This causes a lot of angst and unnecessary mental agony. And of course a lot of negative word of mouth for all the three companies involved. My case is not an isolated one; infact, one of my colleagues is facing a similar situations and we have gone on a war footing to let these customer service guys know what we think of their service and also dissuading others from signing up with them. All of this, I believe is having some impact on their image and hence their brand equity.

Imagine the size of disgruntled customers going up. Imagine if there are a few thousand people in a city like Bangalore who are dissatisfied with the services or products of a company and how it could impact the company. Also, imagine the reverse situation; when thousands are supremely satisfied with a company. This I believe is a strong case of customer service and PR linkage. With internet and its various channels (websites, blogs etc...) all it takes is the will to shame a company. An angry customer can do irreparable damage these days without much effort.

The end user, the customer is a “public” to any company and it better be treated well. If not, they are going to make a hue and cry and cancel the service or shift to other competitors ( unless it is a monopolistic market). In any situation, the way the customer is treated makes a huge impact on the loyalty of the customer and needless to say impacts the image of the company on a day to day basis.


Customer Service Management, Word of Mouth and PR - the inextricable link…
I believe strongly that the kind of word of mouth that a company generates for itself (positive, negative or neutral) depends largely on the Customer service that it offers. This in turn builds the perception of the brand in the consumer’s minds. The link is simple yet most companies don’t tend to get this fact right or choose to ignore it. While they gloat about the kind of network that they offer, the great facilities that are available etc...many companies don’t have a good redressal mechanism to take care of complaints. There isn’t any mechanism to reward or punish the erring employees or the department.

This only leaves gaps in service which are glaring at times and can damage the reputation of the company in question.




Dubai, Thailand – shining examples of great customer service

My first visit to a country outside of India was to Dubai on business. The only thing I can say about interactions with each of the people (right from the buggy driver at the airport to the taxi driver who took us on the desert safari, restaurant manager, the shop keepers to the corporate communications manager of my client) is fantastic! The same holds true for Thailand. Bangkok is a city which sees a huge influx of tourists and the city is geared in every way to accommodate the visiting tourist, with world-class customer service at every touch-point. Despite being a poor country ( GDP much lesser than India), the country has managed to put together a culture of superior customer service which is just pleasing to say the least. It assures the traveler that the people in the country care and that their well-being is important.

What this also translates into is great word of mouth. I speak highly of both these countries – its Airlines, the people and their way of conducting business. And personal experience is the greatest way to form perceptions. Thai Airways, Dubai Free trade zone and even the modest taxi service company which operates tours to the desert safari are shining examples of what the will to please a customer can achieve.


Action plan – managing perceptions through customer service
Some action points on how companies/ individuals can deal with managing the perceptions about their entities. Most of it is basic common sense and not rocket-science.

o Have a good complaint registering system with a next action guideline
o Empower the customer to take action and report bad work
o Reward customers who bring notice to bad work being done
o Be honest in all communication with customers
o Reward good performance and punish sloppy work


All in all, managing perceptions can be a difficult task for anyone. There can be demanding customers, difficult ones too; but the bottom-line is that one can do all that one can in one’s power to ensure that laziness and sloppy work is not getting in the way of creating the right perception of the brand. I believe it is upto the customer service managers/ front line managers in many cases to save the company’s face in difficult times. And in the best of times, with the right kind of service being given – they can actually build a great case for the company and of course brand loyalty of the best kind !

Blonde moments and some insights...

I had a blonde moment today ( sorry for being politically incorrect)....on my way to office. I saw my colleague walking on the pavement, close to office and offered to drop her by slowing down the bike and what she said to me quite baffled me...so i carried on without thinking twice....

I actually heard her say " I am waiting for my chopper ( heli-copter) "...where as she meant " I am actually waiting for my cobbler".... ( her shoe was broken)....

This very blonde moment demonstrated how what is said is not so important....but how one hears it..... what really changes when the message is not interpreted as it is delivered....a big big lesson for a PR guy - that too early in the morning :) I wasnt the one to miss that one.....

Just think of how much we hear and dont listen.....how much we hear our partner ( or spouse) complain about so many things; but we dont care to actively LISTEN and get an insight into what is ACTUALLY bothering him/ her..... How much we hear clients scream at us...or complain and dont do much to LISTEN carefully ...and get some insights into the problem

This woke me up....and i promised myself to listen more actively to what is being said and never to assume anything.....

If one wants to conduct business smoothly and have caring relationships; one has to have the patience to actively and lovingly listen.... one big lesson from a "blonde" moment today