Question

300 words(minimum)....

One of the major challenges companies face is providing customer service information via email. Think of companies you do business with. Do you email them? How long does it normally take for them to respond? Explain some of the shortcomings of using email for customer service.

Answer 1

I have mailed to companies regarding the product queries many times. Most of the mails are sent asking for the status of delayed product delivery, product return and other product complaints. Normally the initial auto-response from the customer service with the complaint number comes quickly within ten minutes but the resolution mail takes more time than expected. Sometimes it takes more than two days. I used to send reminders many times but never gets a faster solution through email other than apologies. Last week my product delivery was delayed and I have sent a mail to the ecommerce company asking for the status. I received only a formal reply that they would deliver the product soon. They have some standardized format for responding to customer mails and we cannot expect anything more.

The message can be better communicated over the telephone but email communication may not provide the desired result sometimes. The meaning can be misinterpreted and also it takes more time to understand if the email is written using complex words. Sometimes chain mail is required to address certain issues and it creates dissatisfaction among the customers. Another shortcoming of email communication is the chances of errors while sending emails. There can be miscommunication due to typo errors and also there are chances of sharing sensitive information by mistake. Miscommunication affects the customer service to a great extent and the customer service executive should be more conscious while sending each mail. There are chances of spreading malwares and viruses also through email communication. These virus and malwares may attack the customer’s system and steal valuable information like bank details and personal information. Such incidents would keep the company in legal issues and the reputation also gets affected. Another shortcoming is that most of the time customers receive a standard reply for all the issues without reading properly what the customer has requested. In case of emergency cases, such replies make the customers angry.