Comments on: On the Road Again: New Journey w/Each Customer’s Request http://katenasser.com/on-the-road-again-new-journey-weach-customers-request/#utm_source=feed&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=feed The People-Skills Coach™ Thu, 17 May 2012 18:39:39 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Mary Ann Dore http://katenasser.com/on-the-road-again-new-journey-weach-customers-request/comment-page-1/#comment-10 Mary Ann Dore Thu, 12 Feb 2009 21:46:45 +0000 http://teachpeopleskills.com/?p=334#comment-10 Kate, I definitely feel that there is a need to be culturally savvy when establishing relationships with a diverse group of customers. When heading organizations based in Chicago and then in Eastern North Carolina, it was important that the CSR responsible for accounts in different parts of the country understood the dynamics of the different cultures. My reps in Eastern NC were slower paced which would drive some of the fast-paced northerners nuts - they wanted the facts and just the facts. Conversely the CSRs in Chicago had to learn to match their pace to their accounts in the south where those customers usually wanted to "chat" before getting down to business. At times it would require adjusting the assignment of accounts to provide the customer with the right rep. Of course, once the rapport was established, the relationships between the reps and "their" accounts was awesome. I think that the cultural differences between offshore CSRs and their US customers is what is contributing to the grumbling we hear more and more about these days regarding customer satisfaction when dealing with help lines for major companies who have outsourced their service. Kate,
I definitely feel that there is a need to be culturally savvy when establishing relationships with a diverse group of customers. When heading organizations based in Chicago and then in Eastern North Carolina, it was important that the CSR responsible for accounts in different parts of the country understood the dynamics of the different cultures. My reps in Eastern NC were slower paced which would drive some of the fast-paced northerners nuts – they wanted the facts and just the facts. Conversely the CSRs in Chicago had to learn to match their pace to their accounts in the south where those customers usually wanted to “chat” before getting down to business. At times it would require adjusting the assignment of accounts to provide the customer with the right rep. Of course, once the rapport was established, the relationships between the reps and “their” accounts was awesome.

I think that the cultural differences between offshore CSRs and their US customers is what is contributing to the grumbling we hear more and more about these days regarding customer satisfaction when dealing with help lines for major companies who have outsourced their service.

]]>