Generally, customer service should be about answering customers’ questions on products and services. Providing advice and guidance. Finding solutions and/or resolving complaints to problems. In a quick, easy and empathetic manner via face-to-face interactions at brick-and-mortar stores and/or online through emails, WhatsApp, live chats, and telephones.

My recent encounters with two companies made me question who, where and what are responsible for customer service. Everyone in the marketing/sales/promotions and/or advertising/public relations departments? Only those in the front-end or client facing? Higher-ups with the authority to make decisions? The platforms, systems, and processes? Or should it be the whole company and/or brand?

For three weeks, I was mired in emails and telephone conversations about a wrong product sent to me by an online seller on a well-established e-commerce platform. The online seller refused to accept the return. The e-commerce platform operator stepped in to resolve the problem. I was the fed-up customer.

After I called to return the wrong product, and initiate a dispute, a customer service staff contacted me via email. Then, a dedicated customer service staff was assigned to me. Emails were exchanged. I explained and asked questions, and requested to speak to a supervisor/manager. He didn’t answer my questions/requests but asked for evidence that I had already provided but was apparently, insufficient.

After several reminders, a supervisor/manager eventually called me. On Deepavali eve, no less, as my family and I were having dinner. I pointed out the inconvenient timing to the person, who apologised, and rescheduled the call to Monday. I wanted to speak to a human being because the toing and froing of emails wasn’t getting me anywhere. How wrong I was. She couldn’t be less interested. Her focus was meeting her company’s internal processes/guidelines. Not my queries/concerns. I pressed her to answer questions about the seller that she didn’t/hadn’t considered.

My case was handed back to my dedicated customer service staff. He offered me a voucher worth half the price of the product I had paid for. My curt email response produced a higher offer – the full amount of the product – bar delivery cost.  He asked if I’d accept the second offer. I asked if the e-commerce operator would act against the seller. Yes. The seller would be monitored  based on complaints received. Then what? I don’t know. What I do know is I had to persists and persevere over three weeks to finally get a half-hearted resolution.

In a slightly different but customer related situation, I felt let down by a shopping mall that my husband and I frequent in Kuala Lumpur. It made no effort to celebrate or acknowledge Deepavali, which was on Nov 12. In previous years, the same mall had prominent displays of ‘kolam’ or coloured rice in pretty designs for the festival. This year, nada.

Deepavali was conspicuously absent while Christmas was elaborately visible at the mall. Tinsels, trees, baubles, candy canes and presents – all merrily drenched in pastel pink. Very nice. I would have been the first to give the mall the thumbs-up for the painstakingly put-together presentation, if it had also given thought, attention, and space to Deepavali, which came first and was celebrated by the country’s third largest ethnic group. I was perplexed with this mall’s action or rather inaction particularly since shopping malls like Suria KLCC and many retail shops not only observed the festival with grand decorations but had stalls promoting Indian fashion and food/snacks.

I went to the mall’s management office, and asked to speak to someone who could give me some clarity. I met with one of the mall’s operations’ staff. I asked if Deepavali 2023 was cancelled. I got an emphatic no. She explained that the marketing department was in charge of the mall’s decorations/promotions, and had activities planned for the celebration. What activities? What plans? Where? Two days to the big day, and there was nothing, no decoration remotely resembling Deepavali. No ‘kolam.’ Not a single grain of rice, coloured or otherwise, was in sight.  

After my conversation with her on Friday, a token decoration emerged on Sunday, in amongst the lavish Christmas decorations. What the $%$£”? In both situations, there was a clear lack of interest and care, and a much greater focus/urgency to close the customer/complainant’s case and/or dispense off problems/questions. I felt fobbed off. My customer service experience was woefully disappointing.

‘A customer’s experience is shaped by the three Ps: people, process, and product. People: Customers want to speak to helpful and kind employees, whether they’re on a call with a sales agent or live chatting with a support agent. Process: Customers prefer seamless and memorable experiences as they move through the buyer journey. This could be anything from a simplified payment process to an easier way to contact customer support. Product: Customers want intuitive products that solve their problems[1].’

Who, where and what are responsible? Hmm.