The photo that opens this note is a reflection of the solution to a series of problems that I faced during my recent stay in Brazil. Here I was able to verify that customer service is still a great challenge in the region.
Compared to other parts of the world, such as the United States or Europe, Latin America still suffers from the development and consolidation of this fundamental practice for the consolidation of its industries and the well-being of its individuals.
And it is that, according to a Zendesk report this year, 43% of Latin American consumers consider that customer service is something secondary for companies.
This data is correlated with another equally important: almost 90% of Latino leaders say that their organization believes that customer service is a top priority, but 32% say that it is still not driven by senior executive management, according to the same study.
Thus, the support and attention to the public continues to be an obvious issue to overcome. This is replicated even in the most developed economies in the region, such as the country of samba. I say this knowingly, because a few days ago I had an episode that highlights this reality. Below is my experience.
Dilemma in Brazil
One Monday, while in the city of Buzios, I got ready to go ahead with my work in the morning, but my laptop wouldn’t turn on, so I connected my charger to various outlets and even went to borrow another one to replace it, but I could never turn on my computer
I tried to contact Apple technical support companies, but either they had the phone number down, or they simply did not respond. One of them had a chat channel where no one attended: they simply urged me to make an appointment. When I was finally able to find a WhatsApp button on their website, I did not hesitate to write, but my message was not seen or answered for more than an hour.
Finally, a person was able to help me in the afternoon, telling me to come to his place the next day, in Rio de Janeiro. Thus, on Tuesday I had to travel to this city from six in the morning, on a trip that lasted between four and five hours. Upon arriving at the place, I realized that it was too small, and that it did not give me the necessary confidence to leave my machine.
Once again I had to move, this time to the Barra da Tijuca area, where the only official Apple store in Rio was. There they told me that my laptop was going to take fifteen days to be repaired, so I decided to buy a new one.
A gap to bridge
This whole situation made me realize that in Brazil, as in the rest of the region, customer service is not optimal. A friend who owns a company in this country reinforced this idea when he told me that, at lunchtime, local companies do not consider shifts, as it is part of their culture.
Personally, I would have liked the brand to lend me a machine or rent me one, as I know has happened in other countries. What would have happened if you didn’t have the money to buy another laptop? I probably had to stay several days without being able to work.
Those of us who have lived in the United States and elsewhere have a different standard regarding customer service and can better understand the gap that exists in Latin America. It’s not about complaining, it’s about looking at the facts and finding opportunities for improvement.
After the experience in Brazil, in a conversation with two North Americans, they honestly and emphatically told me that, indeed, their expectations regarding customer service in the region are much lower than what they can expect in their country, because in Latin America Things often don’t work the way they tell you they do.
What conclusions can I reach?
Customer service is a big debt in Latin America. This, which has been going on for a long time, is an even more sensitive issue if one takes into account that many of the activities have been digitized and are done remotely or in a hybrid way, so companies need to help their customers solve their problems. problems efficiently and immediately, especially in aspects that involve technology.
Experiences like the one in Brazil motivate me to continue working from my role as an entrepreneur in order to improve customer service in the region, through education in a service mentality and the development of technological tools designed to connect with the audience and increase retention, not just transaction.
Seeing how to better serve the public, having the appropriate contact channels, measuring and managing information are key aspects that every company needs to implement. Latin America is called to transform and improve its customer service. And today is when it should start.
