The front line is the only line

If you have the greatest company in the world, the best finance team, great IT support, well-respected managers, the whole nine yards - that’s fantastic. You should be proud. However, none of that matters if you have poor customer service representatives (CSRs). To the customer, those CSRs are your company. They make or break the sale. They leave the customer satisfied and likely to return or they leave them unhappy and likely to tell everyone they know not to buy your products or services.

Think about it. If Peyton Manning is your quarterback, you’re not going to surround him with a bunch of bush league offensive linemen. No, you want the best.

In a survey, the National Association of Retail Marketing Services found that companies lose 10 customers for every one that complains and 90% of unhappy clients will not do business with the same company again. Considering how much it costs to attract a customer, it makes no sense at all not to invest in a service program and satisfy and keep those hard-won customers.

This isn’t a new concept. It’s one that holds true through the evolution of customer service from face to face, to phone, to online interactions.

The person managing your Twitter and Facebook accounts is one of the most important CSRs there is. Is the person behind those social network accounts familiar with all aspects of your company? Have they been properly trained to respond to customer complaints? Do they follow through with people who connect to them, whether it’s a neutral, good or bad comment? It’s not enough to just be: you must become an engaged and active presence.

Consider this person an extension of your front line, because they’re not just picking up the phone and dealing with 50 customers a day, they’re online dealing with thousands – or more. Without a solid front line…the rest won’t matter.