Your passing percentage

Is your rating like that of a quarterback?

This past week I had a couple of experiences with local businesses that caused me to think about quarterbacks; high school, college or professional, it does not matter – it is just the person who is throwing the ball.

With the quarterback it is referred to as a pass completion percentage. It compares the number of times the football is passed and the percentage of passes that are caught by someone on the same team. The higher the percentage, the better the quarterback is thought to be.

With these experiences I had with business the interaction began with either a phone call or an in-person visit. It was not too long in the conversation that I was being passed to another department or individual.

As a customer you ask a question, and without any further interaction, you hear, “please hold”. Hopefully the appropriate person takes your call in a timely manner. Sometimes you are left on hold and have to dial back in. Sometimes they do not put you on hold correctly and you are disconnected.

Of course, you have to start the conversation at the beginning with each person and hope you are not passed again.

My experience with passing on the phone call was a bit different but still discouraging. The call was made to the local homeowner insurance agent to discuss updates to the policy. We know the agent on a first name basis as we have done business with him for many years.

Instead of a person, you get an automated system that goes through all the names and extensions. However, it states if you want to file a claim you should hang up and dial a toll free number to speak with someone at a call center. After pressing the number for the agent, you hear the traditional message of not being in the office and leaving your name and number, followed by the same message about filing a claim.

This type of situation disturbs me. While not with today’s phone call, if I were to have a claim I would want to talk to the agent whom I know instead of someone sitting at a screen in a call center. The agent, should be able to share information about temporary residency or someone locally who could make temporary repairs. It seems to me as the agent is getting their commission for selling the policy, they should also be engaged in any resolution. At least they should express concern for their customer whom they have made a commission on for these years.

I think in this situation I have been passed off to someone. Let’s look at our businesses. How often do we pass a customer to someone?

Granted the person we pass them to may be better qualified or have more knowledge to help us. But it is the manner in which they do so.
Years ago I remember my father visiting the headquarters of what was to become a new wholesaler. What he remembered most about his visit was the way the employees helped him. No one told him to go down the hall to see someone else or any other type of directions. Instead in every instance, the person listened to my father and then asked him to sit tight for a minute.

While he was sitting there, they placed a phone call to the individual that was in the same building. They told the individual who the customer was that was sitting at their desk and what the concern was. They asked the individual if they were the appropriate individual to help my father. If not, they asked for input and the sequence continued with another phone call.

If it was the correct individual to speak with, my father was walked to that individual’s office and introduced. That is not passing but represents a customized customer service experience.

Similar experiences occur when a customer walks into a business. When asking where an item is located, a sales person either points in the direction of the item or tells the customer which aisle it is located on. It is still a form of passing. A customized customer service experience would include walking the customer to where the item is located and pointing it out. You don’t have to stand over the customer; you are simply eliminating the possibility of frustration by making sure they arrive at the right spot.

With the quarterback, they want a very high passing rate. In our business, the passing rate should be as low as possible. The low rate demonstrates a genuine interest in the customer and the willingness to help them get what they want or need. Who knows, there might be an add on sale or an opportunity to sell up.

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