SPECIAL GUEST BLOGGER - ALAN THOMPSON
I’ve mentioned in a previous article that
my day job sees me visiting many different motor dealers in different parts of
the UK and these visits can be a rich source of subject matter for customer
service topics.
A recent experience made me think
about the unexpected consequences of chasing an outstanding customer
experience.
I was sat in the coffee lounge of a
prestige car dealer in the Home Counties waiting for someone to help me. This
dealership did not have the traditional row of service desks for customers who
were leaving cars for work to be carried out.
Instead, there was a staff
member to greet the customer at the showroom entrance and direct them to the
coffee lounge where refreshments were offered whilst a service adviser joined
them to discuss the work being carried out.
Here is a snapshot of what I
witnessed:
Service
Adviser (in a raised
voice): Miss Jones? - A lady raises her hand and he goes across, carrying his Ipad
and joins her at a table.
Service
Adviser (referring to
his Ipad): I believe we are servicing your Vehicle (he described the make and
model) and I have the Registration Number as XXXX XXX. (The customer
acknowledged that this was correct).
Service
Adviser: Your vehicle
technician will also carry out a free health check on your vehicle, would you
like me to email you the video report? The customer says yes. I have your
email address as: ….@....com. (Again the customer confirms that they have the
correct information).
Service
Adviser: Shall I ring
you when the vehicle is ready? I have your number as xxxxx xxxxxxx. Do you need
a lift to work? I can arrange that for you.
This interaction was repeated 3 or 4
more times in the 20 minutes that I was sat there.
I am certain that both parties would
have felt satisfied with the experience, but to me there was one glaring error ... data leakage!
Had I wanted to, for whatever purpose,
I could have noted the customers’ name; type and registration of vehicle; email
address and telephone number, and also where the person worked.
By two simple acts, this data could
have been made much more secure:
1. Instead
of sitting opposite the customer at the table, sit alongside them
and
2. Point
to the personal information on the Ipad asking the customer to confirm that the
information is correct.
Maybe I’m being over-sensitive about
personal data, but I am sure none of these customers would have willingly given
me all that information had I just wandered over and asked for it.
So, please look at your processes and
systems with a fresh pair of eyes. What are your unintended consequences of striving for excellence?
Alan Thompson
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Alan Thompson
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