Where Did All The Good Customer Service Go?

As I sit here and think about the last few weeks, there is only one thing that keeps invading my mind.

"Why is it so hard to do business with people?"

It blows me away at how difficult it is to get someone (that you want to give money to) on the phone, talk through your wants, have them give their honest and professional opinion about what you need, and do it in a way that doesn't make you feel like you are wasting their time. I just don't underst... sigh

I guess I am getting ahead of myself, and just ranting at this point. You are probably wondering who I am, and what am I doing here. My name is Ellis Todd King, and I am the owner and founder of Cyber Drop Box. I am here because I saw a hole in the transportation industry that needed to be filled. I analyzed the problem and determined I had the skills, desire and integrity to solve it. The problem I saw was that drivers had a hard time staying on top of their personal business. Missed mail caused headaches, cost money, and more importantly, wasted their much deserved home time. So we created this company to deliver their mail to them on the road via this website.

Ok. So, that is why I am on this site, but why am I here today... writing this article?

Normally, I will bring you articles about new and existing trucker technology. I will show you cool new toys to make your lives easier. You will learn about software designed that is designed to make you more money by increasing efficiency. I am a nerd at heart, so I will tend to cover more nerdy types of things.

But today is different...

I don't know if I have just been reading too much of the angry trucker's articles or what, but I just wanted to write about something that has been bothering me for some time now.

Where did all the good customer service go?

Over the last few weeks I have been preparing to be an exhibitor at the Great American Trucking Show in August. (I do want to add here that the people at the show have been awesome. I did not want anyone to assume I was referring to them since I mentioned the name. They have actually gone above and beyond, so they deserve a salute.) This requires a lot of planning and coordinating with many other businesses for a variety of different reasons. Many of these reasons are that I want to spend my money and purchase something from these businesses. To be honest, I don't see how they stay financially above water.

I have struggled to get people on the phone. Almost everyone wants to do business via email, and even sometimes text message. I hate when I need answers and I am dependent on getting these answers from email. It can sometimes take days to get answers that I needed yesterday.

I know. I know. Patience you say, but I remember...

*pause for effect and cue inspirational music*

I remember a time when the personal touch was an unspoken requirement for all business. You as a customer were priority. Other calls could wait. People never said "I don't know" unless it was followed by "but I will find out for you immediately!". It wasn't taken for granted that you would be a customer next billing cycle, or the next time you needed to make an order. People called you back, even when they couldn't deliver what you wanted or needed. If somehow, you did receive bad customer service, it was rare and you were compensated for having to deal with that issue. There was a time when a business would have to close its doors over bad customer service.

When did it change? When did we start accepting the abuse?

I propose a change. I know for me and the company I operate by the will of God alone, WILL be different. We will bring customer service back to what it used to be. If there is a problem, we will solve it. If there is a way we can help, we will find it. We will never take a customer for granted. Contracts. No Contracts. It doesn't make a difference. Cyber Drop Box will be that company that left you with a smile on your face. The company that took the time to understand you and your problem. We will not be the script readers and automatic computer voices that are common place in today's world. This is our pledge to the world.

Where did all the good customer service go? Its right here, and it isn't going anywhere!

Are there any businesses that have exceptionally good customer service that you have dealt with? Comment below and let us know!

The Gripe Session

It reads like a scripture passage from some alternative Bible for Trucking: “whenever two or more drivers are gathered together in the name of trucking, a gripe session eventually ensues.” What is up with that? I have begun to avoid groups of drivers standing around talking because all I ever hear is a bunch of griping. No solutions to problems ever get discussed. No positive topics are ever mentioned. It’s just one driver after another offering up their latest complaint, followed by the next driver whose problems are exponentially larger than the preceding rant.

I have to admit that I am as guilty as anyone of expressing my feelings about perceived wrongs and abuses. Knowing that, I have consciously tried to keep myself out of situations that feed my anger. I really have no excuse for participating in that manner. I know how to handle problems with the job. It is a step-by-step procedure.

STEP ONE:
Identify the problem. You have to remove the emotion from the issue and boil it down to a one sentence statement of the situation.

STEP TWO:
Find out who has the power to initiate a solution to the problem. If you have a problem with your fleet manager’s treatment or attitude, you start with that person. If you feel that DOT has wrongly charged you, you start with that DOT officer. Complaining to another driver about your fleet manager or the DOT officer while drinking coffee at the counter at the T/A won’t solve the problem and will probably make your coffee give you heartburn.

STEP THREE:
Organize a written chronological statement of the facts. Bullet points and time lines are your friends, especially if you have QuaalCom messages or official documentation to back you up. Phone conversations are not solid proof. They are deniable and result in a he said/she said argument. Write down your complaint using no emotion and only facts that you can back up.

STEP FOUR:
Know the chain of command. Whether you’re dealing with your company or someone like the DOT, everyone has a boss. Start with the initial person you have the problem with. If you can’t reach a solution with that person, elevate the discussion to the next level: their boss. Follow this procedure until you have either resolved the problem or realize that there is no resolution within the company or group you are dealing with. At that point, you have to make a decision. You will either have to deal with the issue as it stands or you will have to leave the situation.

The main thing to remember is this: REMOVE ALL EMOTION FROM ANY DISCUSSION. State the facts as you believe them to be true in a clear, concise and chronological order. Present the back up to those facts. At no time, ever, has injecting cursing into a discussion proven to have had a positive effect. You must present yourself as the professional, highly skilled and valuable individual that you really are. If you give in to emotions like anger, you will lose your battle.

As our economy falters, our freight is less stable and our regulations continue to change, we as drivers need to stick together and help each other maintain a positive outlook and attitude. Our life experiences shape us. We are all under such pressure these days to pay the bills that many of us are walking on a razor’s edge. When coal is put under extreme pressure, because of its characteristics, it eventually becomes a diamond. Let’s try, as a group, to develop characteristics that will let the pressures on us form us into a “driver diamond” and not crush us into useless dust? Until next time, stay safe out there!