It seems that customer experience is slipping on the list of business priorities these days. Growth is slowing in many sectors as markets become saturated. There is more pressure than ever to drive revenue and returns on investment. Cuts and compromises must be made. But customers are not expendable! Without customers, there can be no business.

In the past week, I have encountered one of the worst customer experiences of my life. Since I’m always on the lookout for silver linings and learning opportunities, this seems like a good time to review some basic CX guidelines.

First, what happened?

I rented a flat in East London, managed by Flex Living, for my ongoing 2 week stint. When I arrived on Friday, I discovered a poorly installed toilet  and a powerful stench of mould, which I immediately reported. It took 24 hours for my issue to even be acknowledged. After two days, maintenance finally arrived and confirmed the problem was serious, a health issue, and required renovation of the bathroom. I then spent 4 (!) hours exchanging calls and emails with a very kind and professional customer service rep to get myself relocated. She was unable to move me to an available nearby flat, as it would constitute an upgrade and management needed to approve. Instead, I was offered either a move to far northwest London, or another night in the contaminated flat followed by a downgrade to a place worth less than half of what I’d paid. I asked to speak to a manager. The entire management team was unavailable, I was told, but someone would call me first thing on Monday. I checked into a hotel. Management did not call me as promised. I’ve subsequently spent 3 days trying to reach resolution. No further accommodation was offered, and when I asked for a refund, I was told the company director himself denied it.  I contacted Michael Buggy (the Director) through LinkedIn and though he offered an apology, he did not offer a remedy, and he has not replied to my repeated messages seeking resolution.

To sum up: I paid for accommodations. I was placed in an unsafe flat, no equivalent alternative was offered, and then I was denied a refund. The experience I’ve had with Flex Living was a masterclass in what not to do. So let’s review the basics of positive customer experience.

1. Ensure your product is solid.

Unfortunately, the product that’s promised is not always the product that’s delivered. We’ve all seen this happen more than we’d like, and most businesses do their best, but it takes ongoing attention – to detail, to quality, to experience – to ensure you deliver what what you’ve agreed. Disappointing the customer is never a good start.

2. Be there when customers need you.

The standard office working week is Monday-Friday. But if your company is in a sector where quick responses are critical – security software, for example, or hospitality – someone needs to be on hand to address issues that arise outside of these hours. Security breaches and plumbing accidents happen on weekends, too. And anything that endangers your customers’ business or personal health needs to be resolved quickly, no matter what the hour.

3. Empower your team to resolve urgent issues.

There’s little point in paying someone to be on call if they can’t address the issues that arise. If management approval is required, then management needs to be on call as well. Don’t make your customers solve problems that are your responsibility. If you do, you show the customer that their needs don’t matter, only their money – that’s an express route to customer attrition and revenue loss.

4. Acknowledge responsibility; provide quick and reasonable resolution.

Accidents happen, mistakes are made, perfection is impossible. But mistakes don’t have to be catastrophic. The key is assessing the situation in context, admitting responsibility where appropriate, and providing quick resolutions. Apologies are no good without remedies, and sacrificing a bit of margin to turn around a poor experience is a small price to pay.

5. Do what you say you will do. Fulfill your side of the contract.

This is so basic that it’s shocking how often it’s overlooked. If you agree to deliver a product or service, deliver it. If you promise a call, make it. If your business makes an offer, stick to it. And if – for whatever reason – you can’t, be prepared to make reparations and watch your customer walk away.

6. The ultimate responsibility lies with leadership.

If you are fortunate and tenacious enough to run a business, then the satisfaction of your customers is ultimately your remit. Without customers, there is no business. Refusing to resolve problems, provide remedies, or interact directly with a customer who requests it, is cowardly and unacceptable. Mutual respect is essential to trust, and trust is the cornerstone of every successful relationship. If you can’t or won’t meet your obligations, you have failed.

To sum it up

Dear reader, if you’ve read this far, you are probably thinking that nothing about this situation is particularly complicated. It’s true – all of these points should be self-evident. But businesses like Flex Living treat customers like transactions, not humans. Great customer service staff cannot make up for irresponsible leadership. It is not my practice to name and shame, but exposing predatory behaviour is one of the few avenues we have to prevent it. So I’m breaking with my tradition and going public.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: no matter what kind of business you run, it’s people who make it possible. We buy products and services – or we choose not to. We are loyal to businesses that treat us well. We do the day to day tasks that make the business run. We are not expendable. We deserve better.