Channel 4′s ‘You’re the Boss’

Or should the title be “Oi Sainsbury’s, you’re the loss!”

Saw first half of this programme last night on Channel 4 and it did make me laugh and cry (well not really, but still).  Apparently the idea that a well handled complaint increases loyalty than a customer having no problem at all was “news”.  Visit any customer service conference for the past 20years and that will appear on several presentations.  TARP, a company I worked for in London, promoted this message time and time again having proven it countless times both statiscally and financially in terms of the bottom line.

The programme followed one customer service manager and his attempts to setup a ‘Customer Surgury’ in a  store.  The emcumbent customer service manager clearly wasnt sold on this idea and desipte have the CEO’s blessing for the experiment, a general sense of negativity was presented by other colleagues… essentially along the lines of “dont talk to customers, you’ll open a bag of worms”.  The ‘hero’ wanted to address problems at first point of contact but quickly found that he certainly had the voice of the customer ringing in his ears but had to face many problems that he couldnt deal with there and then.

Even the ‘quick hits’ of presentation on the produce aisle were brushed away by the stores customer service manager.  The whole idea seemed to be treated as a ‘here today gone tomorrow’ exercise, so the store could get back to ignoring customers as normal.

The fact that he had ten’s of customers making comments in the first few hours of opening the surgery that otherwise would have walked out taking their dissatisfaction with them, was at least acknowledged in the commentry if not by the existing management.

“Oh, what are you doing raising their expectations that anything would be done” the sideplayers said as they threw their two pennies in.

Customer service is a challenge.  If not led by management and driven down to the frontline then what hope does effort coming from the front-line up have.  Sainsbury’s arent alone, but it seems that customers must work around the processes and ‘thats how it is’ of this Sainsbury’s store.  I didnt rate the customer service manager in the store – his priority was sales and not the customer.  Of course sales are important but doesnt customers=sales.  His body language and tone was of someone hardly committed to the customer cause.  No doubt he’s swallowed the corporate rhetoric of “The Customer”.

Not sure how Sainsbury’s viewed this programme.  For the part of the programme I caught, management seemed to view this exercise as something to try and then forget.  Why not have senior management show a face and get involved in the frontline?  Chortling over consumer complaints filled 10minutes of airtime, but I would rather have exposed thelip service of large retail outlets by having customers put decision-makers to the sword… not hide behind the well intentioned efforts of committed individuals.