It was just a few minutes past 8:00 and already a customer was calling in to report that the trash had been missed.  The customer service representative looked at the account and saw that the driver had documented that it was not out when he came by the day before.  The CSR spoke in a cheerful voice as she told her customer that she failed to put the trash out on time.  She offered to send the driver back this time as a courtesy.  The customer was notably irritated as she defended herself and said that she always puts the trash out the night before.  The CSR rolled her eyes and sighed as she responded with a patronizing “yes ma’am” and summarized that the trash would be picked up before the end of the day.  The CSR noticed that this was not the first time the driver had documented that the trash wasn’t out.  She chalked it up to a dishonest customer and put in a work order for the miss.

Let’s suppose that the customer is right and the trash is always put out the night before.  How would you proceed?  I was curious and took the account information to the operations department.  The manager was able to show me where the driver actually was at the time he marked the trash was not out and he was on the other side of town! Clearly this was a driver issue and not a customer behaving badly.  While the mystery was solved the problem was sure to repeat itself because when I looked at the account the following day it still documented that the trash had not been out.  The notes had not been changed to reflect what actually happened.  This customer was still going to be labeled as dishonest.

The service issues and complaints that your customers bring to your attention are full of clues that can help you correct issues once and for all.  Documentation of your interaction with a customer is critical detective work.  One missing detail can send your team in a wrong direction.  Forgetting to enter notes in the system creates uncomfortable customer conversations.  Poor notes create friction between departments and in the end the customer suffers. 

Assessing and Improving Your Location’s Documentation Procedures

1)      Take a walk around the customer service department and look for sticky notes.  These reminders are usually connected to a missing note in the system.  The customer service person may say the plan is to enter it later, but hours and days can pass before notes are entered, if they are entered at all.  During that time the customer may call to follow up only to be told there is no record of the call.

2)      Audit customer service representative’s notes weekly.  Ask your CSRs to turn in completed service issue scripts so that you can look to see what was documented regarding the conversation.  Partner this process by sitting with the person as he/she takes customer calls so you can hear what a customer is saying and give some direction on what is important to document.

3)      Are all the departments documenting the solution they have provided or correcting inaccurate notes?  Closing the loop is important for customer service.

4)      Every customer conversation should be documented otherwise you have each person deciding what is important to document and what is not.

5)      Notes should give detail on who, what, when, the solution and completion date.  A note that says, “customer said trash was missed”, does not provide any insight that will help correct the issue.  A more effective note would be, “Mr. Smith stated we missed his recycling on 3/15 and 3/22.  Route supervisor is working with the new driver and will pick it up today.”  Then, operations should document the completion of the service.  Example: Mr. Smith stated we missed his recycling on 3/15 and 3/22.  The route supervisor is working with the new driver and will pick it up today.  Completed 3/22 1:15p.m.

Remember that your customer service department is only as good as the information they have been given.  Schedule a short training session for all departments on effective note documentation to ensure accuracy and uniformity which contribute to delivering excellent service to our customers.