This article formed part of Paperclip’s journey in developing its customer service values, vision and mission statements
We are living through an age where technology enables us to achieve remarkable things: artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, big data, automation, systemisation, the internet and more. These developments drive efficiency. Few businesses, Paperclip included, do not take advantage of one or more of these technologies.
Yet, for all their undeniable brilliance, these technologies are invariably impersonal. They look for patterns and similarities. They categorise and they simplify. They thrive on replication and consistency. They are claustrophobic, oblivious to emotion, and to what makes each of us unique.
Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You. (Dr Suess)
A genuine service improvement, or an impersonal efficiency gain
Communications, the sector in which Paperclip operates, is not immune to the attractions of the ‘new’. As in other areas of business, it dresses them up as progress. Upon closer inspection, however, what is often ‘sold’ as an improvement introduced to deliver a better customer experience or journey is, in reality, nothing of the sort. Often its prime purpose is to improve efficiency for the supplier at the expense, be it in time, patience, or credulity, of the customer.
Why do we contact a supplier?
There are many reasons you may wish to contact an existing or prospective supplier. You may have a query about their product or customer service. You may want to place an order or make an appointment or booking. You may want to reschedule that appointment or ask when you can expect delivery. You may need advice.
When you talk, you are only repeating what you already know. But if you listen, you may learn something new (Dalai Lama)
Your initial port of call may well have been your supplier’s website, or automated online ordering system. Why is your particular question not covered in the FAQs? Why won’t the online payment system accept your credit card, it has worked every other time? So, you make your call.
If 'your call is important to us', answer it!
The phone rings. It is answered immediately. You listen to a message that advises you that your question may be answered by visiting the supplier’s website. You then navigate a menu of choices – press 1 for sales, press 2 for accounts…- and then, maybe, a further sub-menu. You make your choice. The phone rings, and rings, and you are then asked to leave a message on a voicemail, ‘…because your call is important to us.’ Not important enough, however, to answer it.
One of the greatest gifts you can give to anyone is the gift of your attention (Jim Rohn)
Email forms that disappear into a void to be answered who knows when. Chatbots that collect information and then, dispiritingly, advise that ‘someone’ will be in touch who knows when. Voicemails that may or may not receive a response. It is the ‘not knowing’, the inability to share our problem, that causes the stress and frustration.
Most of us just want our voice to be heard
Most of us recognise, however frustrated we may be, that the world is imperfect, that systems fail from time to time and that things change. We just want our voice to be heard.
People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel (Maya Angelou)
And that's why Paperclip exists...
Paperclip exists to serve those companies that truly believe in service, that understand each individual is unique, and that not all questions can be resolved by an algorithm.
Paperclip exists to serve those companies which recognise that, deep down, all of us simply want the opportunity to be heard, to be valued and to be treated with respect.
Paperclip exists to serve those companies which understand that service and treating people with respect are two of the foundations of customer retention and commercial success.
Paperclip exists to serve those companies which know that customers and prospects won’t listen to, or engage with, their story until they recognise that you understand theirs; and, that this understanding comes from being available and open to listen.
‘This is a company that truly values me, my time and my business’. Do you aspire to your customers saying this about you?
Paperclip exists to serve YOU.
People start to heal the moment they feel heard (Cheryl Richardson)
If you would like to know more about Paperclip – the services we provide, the clients we serve, the way we work – then please give the Paperclip team a call on 01246 418 181
Our clients enjoy working with us, and we believe you would too.
Hi, I’m Louise Bellwood, Director at Paperclip. I am responsible for delivering Paperclip’s customer service and growth strategies for 2024 and beyond, I am a crusader for the benefits call answering can deliver for organisations of all kinds; customer service, sales generation, customer retention and more. If you have a question about call answering – pricing, set-up, benefits – I would love to hear from you at louise@paperclip.co.uk or 01246 418 181.