Make No Mistake – We are Living in a Customer Service World

Published On: September 8, 2021

There was a time when retailers competed over price. Not so much anymore.
There was a time when cash was king. That king is dead!
The new king is service. Long live the new king!

The Amazon Model – Go Big

The Upside

Many might say, as we have heard before, that Amazon has set the bar for superior 24/7/365 customer service in an increasingly digital world by offering:

Reasonable prices
A preponderance of choices
Detailed product descriptions
Ratings and customer comments
Incredibly fast deliveries (overnight in many cases)
Free delivery for Prime members
Easy returns and refunds
More digital books available than any library in the world could possibly hold
Personalized recommendations such as
- “People who bought this also bought…”
- “Frequently bought together…”
- “Based on your reading…”
- “Because you read…”

Furthermore, instead of resting on its rather extensive laurels, Amazon keeps coming up with new and improved features, such as “try before you buy” clothing items and the ability to schedule food item delivery on whatever frequency your little heart desires.

In short, Amazon is a trailblazer in customer service. Amazon is also a giant, a behemoth if you wish, having declared 2020 revenue of $386.1 billion and boasting 1,298,000 employees worldwide.

Even with all of that, feeling compelled, in all fairness, to take a peek at…

The Downside

When you are at the top, there is always someone trying to unseat you
Have you ever tried to find the Amazon customer service phone number? Given that Amazon is the king of customer service, you might be surprised to know that finding something as basic as a customer service phone number is a Sisyphean task!
Amazon is a behemoth. And before you ask, the answer is yes. Being a giant can be listed on both sides of the equation when weighing the upside versus the downside.
No matter how hard they try to create a personal feeling, you know it is all programmed.
Rumors have it that employees are not treated well, and it is the Amazon employees who pay the price for your overnight or even same-day deliveries.

Does the upside outweigh the downside? That is a calculation that only you can make.

The “Not-Amazon” Model – Stay Small

The Upside

People who buy on Amazon have pretty high expectations. However, there will always be a market for small companies that make small their business plans.

These companies are not trying to be the next Amazon. They may not be able to offer next-day or same-day delivery, but you can always call their customer service department and chat with a person who can answer your questions about their products. Because… they are small.

They do not offer millions of products. Maybe they offer a mere hundred or a few hundred, but the customer service representative who cheerfully answers the phone when you call the service number, which by the way, is readily available, has an intimate knowledge of the product line.

As for the customer service phone number, it is plastered all over that company’s Web site.

Their products arrive beautifully wrapped. The packaging may include an actual handwritten note thanking you for your business. Sometimes there is a little printed story about the company. Often, there is a small extra gift enclosed.

For customers who truly appreciate personal service, Amazon has no appeal. These customers want to support small and/or local businesses. These customers would perhaps even prefer not to live in an Amazon world.

The Downside

Small companies cannot offer the same perks that most people love about Amazon. On the contrary, these small businesses are constrained by:
1. Limited inventory
2. Lack of pick/pack automation
3. Inability to provide fast turnaround
Their size limits their revenue.
Their limited revenue limits their advertising dollars.
They struggle to come up on page one of relevant search results.
It is hard for them to compete with Amazon and stay afloat.

What can these small to mid-sized companies do? They can explore software solutions such as…

Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Customer Service

Priced for the SMB (Small and Medium Business) market, with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Service software, here are just a few basic things that small and midmarket companies can easily do:

Track customer issues using cases
Record all interactions related to a case
Share information in the knowledge base
Create queues and route cases to the appropriate channels
Create and track services levels using SLAs (service level agreements)
Define service terms
Manage performance and productivity through
- Reports
- Dashboards
Compete with Amazon? Only if they want to!

In a service world, small and mid-market companies need all the help they can get to survive and thrive.

This would be especially true for businesses that compete in any way with Amazon.

Take the next step toward success…

Check-in with Queue Associates to learn volumes more about the capabilities of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Service and how it will transform your business. Contact Queue Associates at (212) 269-1313 x2 or use our CONTACT FORM to learn more.