What is customer service? Does it exist anymore – or are we being abandoned by robots somewhere in the world wide web? Let’s face it, we aren’t asking for the world, we just want to talk to someone who can answer basic questions or tell me where my delivery is.
Good customer service involves delivering proactive and immediate support to customers on the channel of their choice — be it phone, email, text or social media.
However, it seems to me that, all too often, it is virtually impossible to receive a satisfactory and timely response from the businesses we deal with.
It seems that a quick phone call to answer a question is no longer an available option – or if it is, you may be speaking with a multi-use call-centre that could be anywhere in the world or, increasingly, speaking with a robot that can’t understand your accent.
I am pretty comfortable on the computer and using the internet… but there is nothing more frustrating than clicking the “contact us” page of a NZ company, looking for a phone number or email address, only to see ‘Have a question? Type your question into John, our virtual assistant. John can quickly find the answer you need or help connect you to an agent’.
Well, I really hope they connect me with Agent 007, because I am 30 seconds from exploding!
At EAT, we remember and practice the lost art of ‘customer service’.
Our ‘lovely ladies in the office’ are there to help you, by whatever means is most convenient for you. Whilst 80% of our customers prefer to communicate and order online, 20% still use the phone.
Some of our customers are very quick and some require time. Some want to know exactly how something is cooked, have we tried it, did we like it?
Or to confirm what menu we are up to, as each week and month quickly passes us by.
For everyone that calls, there is a friendly voice answering the phone that knows everything about the food, delivery, packaging, weather… they have time and patience to talk, and a willingness to make your life easier.
Customer service at EAT involves no robots – it is 100% personal! Our customers pay our wages, and we have a long-standing relationship with most, so the least we can do is pick up the phone!
If you have thought about taking the hassle out of dinner and ordering from EAT, or you have a few questions, pop us an email, send us a Facebook message, release a carrier pigeon or simply pick up the phone and call one of the ‘lovely ladies’ on 0800 328333. We look forward to feeding you soon.
– Alison Macaulay, EAT