By Joan Gottlieb, jgottlieb@sokolisgroup.com
As an account manager, I correspond daily with clients, fuel providers, merchants, and fleet fuel card organizations every day.
When dealing with fleet fuel card providers, I have always had an assigned fleet fuel card representative; one individual dedicated to providing account service. That is up until recently. Some fuel card providers have resorted to Customer support via e-mail!
I guess as they say, the times they are changing. Every company, especially when it came to customer service would answer live by saying something like; Hi, how can I help you today. Then most companies let an automated attendant answer and you have to play that fun game of press 1 for this or 2 for that to finally getting to that magic live person.
I understand it’s a competitive world for all companies out their especially fuel card companies like EFS, Fuelman, Comdata, WEX and Voyager so you want to have a way to save money. Though I wouldn’t like it as much as having a live person, I could accept a live instant message, at least you would know what is going on.
Personally, I find corresponding via email impersonal and not the best tool to administer customer service. Your e-mail inquiry goes into a queue, and you wait for a response. Many times, your reply is inadequate and this task is time consuming and frustrating.
Who has time in their day to wait on an answer? What’s wrong with personal attention?
In the Sokolis world, it’s ALL about personal attention; my boss would have it no other way.
Slogans painted in our office read “here is a simply rule, always give people more than they expect to get” (by the author Nelson Boswell).
Next time, more behind the scenes stories on fuel management.
Do you need help with your fuel card or anything else fuel give us a call 267-482-6155
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