By: Jeff Toister

It’s amazing how many customer service problems occur because everyone assumes everyone else is doing their job correctly. One person thinks they have handed off the problem so they forget about it. The person who is supposed to receive the problem never does.  A great way to
keep problems from falling through the cracks is to take ownership of the situation and become a point person for the customer.

Here’s an example from Cindy, a customer service tip of the week subscriber: “A customer had previously left a voicemail message for a co-worker who had been on vacation. When she called in I assured her that I would get the information for her right away. Turns out it was actually an Information Technology problem for a different co-worker. When all was said and done there were others who had partial information regarding this customer’s request. I took responsibility for making sure her needs were met by getting all communication components from those involved and responded back to her quickly with what she needed.” I can only imagine what would have happened if Cindy has simply dumped the call into her co-worker’s voicemail instead of handling it!

Bonus info: It’s easier to be the point person when things go right. One way companies ensure this happens is by counterintuitively offering fewer options.
(http://www.toistersolutions.com/blog/2015/12/14/why-having-fewer-options-leads-to-better-service)