March 2, 7:02 am
When poor customer service costs a life
When service providers fail, the cost can be a life. Such was the case in Pittsburgh, PA in early February, when Curtis Mitchell died while waiting three days for a 911 response during a winter storm.
During my recent trip overseas I realized the need for companies to get some fresh eyes and re-examine their customer service practices, so the Curtis Mitchell story caught my eye.
Amazingly, ambulances were within a short walking distance to Mitchell’s residence three times over those three days, but the paramedics would not get out of their vehicle and walk through the snow. Instead, they had to gall to tell the 911 operators that Mitchell would have to walk to them.
The article says that the drivers MAY get disciplined. I hope they do.
Thankfully, the article also states that the region’s 911 policies have been changed, and now drivers will have to go to the door of a building from which a 911 call has been made.
It’s a shame, though, that it had to go this far. People shouldn’t have to die for companies to take a look at their customer service practices.
Even if your business doesn’t deal with life or death situations, the health of your bottom line is affected by the quality of your customer service. When was the last time it had a check up?
Filed in Business, Management, Customer Service, Workplace
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