Writing, marketing and technology
A reader sent me this classic: Apparel Flow Replenishment. In other words ‘restocking’. Similarly, I’ve always thought that Customer Service Representative is about two and a half words too long. And how do you ‘represent’ customer service? Also, have you noticed that companies with ‘CSRs’ usually have lousy customer service. As in Guy Kawasaki’s experience with AT&T or my experience with McAfee.
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Matthew Stibbe is CEO of Articulate Marketing and Turbine, the easy, online way to deal with office paperwork. He edits Golf Hotel Whiskey and writes the Forbes Aviator column.
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They should call them “customer servants” and watch how many CSR’s quit, how many get treated worse than they are currently by customers, and how many actually start serving the customers.
What should we call them anyway?
My current employer for seems to be having a love affair with the term “analyst”.
We have Help Desk Analysts answering our IT&S Support Line. If computer problems are involved, I’d much rather speak with a Support Technician or a Solutions Provider than with someone who sounds as if they are evaluating the statistical efficacy of our call center.
My current title is “Client Services Analyst”. Nobody, including the people I have supported for years, understand what it means. If I can, I’ll normally say that I’m a member of the Client Services team. It comes off as confusing on my resume as well, because my job duties are primarily that of supervisor and administrative coordinator.
At my church, those who used to be called “ushers” are now called “hospitality ministers.” I supposed Edgar Allan Poe could have called one of his stores, “Fall of the House of the Hospitality Minister.”
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