Customer Service

One thing we strongly believe in at The Lead Generation Group Ltd is valuing our customers; they are our lifeblood and we strive to always deliver top-notch customer service every time.

This past week I have been hearing stories of poor customer service and I can't help thinking how short-sighted this is. Good reviews about our service are fantastic but one real negative review can dent our reputation massively.

Take for example a well-known holiday chain. They advertise as dog-friendly so you book only to be asked for an extra twenty-five quid. . . you can also pay an extra tenner for a two hour earlier check in. That cheap mini break is starting to mount up. On the day you arrive two and half hours later than planned due to an accident and a two hour delay. You have spent five and a half hours driving, leaving home at nine thirty in the morning. It's now gone four thirty and you tell the check-in staff what's happened. They respond: "Oh, yeah, loads of people have arrived late today!"

When you check out four days later they ask if you have enjoyed your stay: You say "no". You tell them why and they shrug and say well, read our Terms and Conditions. . . You say you have spent half your break calling out the staff. They say: "That's what they're there for. . ." You say you shouldn't have to keep calling them. You ask for a ten pound refund – that's reasonable. They say "sorry, there's nothing we can do. You arriving late wasn't our fault. You having noisy neighbours and faulty equipment "wasn't our fault. . ." It wasn't the customer's either. . .

The Lead Generation Group Ltd hear these type of stories all the time. As marketeers we understand the importance of good customer service. It seems shocking that so many companies don't.

In the scheme of things what's a tenner? I bet on that particular Friday they must have had half a dozen people or more arrive late due to an accident "that wasn't their fault". Lovely jubbly! At least three hundred quid of free money and what's that compared to an unhappy customer?

Contentiously, the customer is NOT always right, not matter what they would have you believe, but on occasions when a vast amount, of customers are all complaining about the same thing, then perhaps they are right, and as a responsible and caring business, you should do the right thing.

In this day and age when it's easy to put a review on social media it's sometimes best to agree that the customer IS right. The LG Group are always willing to go that little bit extra to ensure that our customers are always happy. Sometimes it's the littlest of gestures that make the biggest impact.

If a business gets it wrong occasionally, and it happens, it's easier to acknowledge and apologise and be sincere rather than let one scathing review damage years of hard work and endeavour.