Mastering Customer Service

by Phil Anderson
Recently I went to a movie with my daughter and ordered what I always do (yes, I know it’s the worse thing you can eat), popcorn and soda.  My daughter then added a pretzel.  The person behind the counter said, no problem, but the pretzel would take about four minutes.

We were already a BIT late to the movie but I said, fine.

This is where customer service effeciency kicks in.  Rather than put the pretzel in to start the four minutes, this person got the popcorn, and the drink, took my money and gave me my change and THEN said, I’ll get that pretzel in for you and it will be ready in about four minutes.

Seriously?

Please, just think.  This isn’t rocket science here.  And before you go off on me and say, “Well, they’re only getting minimum wage so cut them some slack”, I’ll say, what, if you give them more money?  They will then have more common sense?

I don’t buy it.  I just needed to vent on this one.  Thanks for reading and remember, expect the most but give even more.

by Phil Anderson
I was at a Taco Bell recently and something happened to me that I really wanted to share because it was just SO refreshing!  First of all, there are many people that think that fast food restaurants NEVER EVER, EVER get an order correct when going through the drive-thru.  I know there are many times that what you get is not what you ordered.  I must be in the minority because I get what I order almost all of the time.  Most of the time it’s because I simply say, “I’ll take a number ‘x’ with no onions and a Coke.”  It’s only when you start adding “that” or holding “this” that the orders can sometimes get confused.

Well….

…..I did NOT get a burrito that I had ADDED on to the order even though when the lady at the window took my money and handed me my bag she said, “Here’s your ‘such and such’ AND your burrito.  Have a nice day!”  BUT, no burrito.  I didn’t notice until I was on the freeway about a mile away.  I wasn’t about to turn around and go back.  Busy guy, lots of things to do, yada yada.  I thought to myself, “I’ll just stop in there later today and sort it out.”

Later today actually meant a week later.  I decided to walk in to talk with a manager rather than do it through the drive-thru window.  It’s worth noting my expecations were not high since it had been a week since the lost burrito.  As I walked in I was greeted warmly by a man named, Rick, working at the register. 

“May I talk with your manager, please?” I asked.
“Is there something I might assist you with?” he replied.

So, I gave it a go with him.  I told him what happened and then, without even blinking an eye, said, “Well, that doesn’t seem right for you to not get what you paid for.”  I gladly accepted his surprising response and proceeded to order lunch, knowing I would also have the lost burrito from the week prior. 

That’s when he delivered the knockout punch of customer service by saying, “You know what?  Let me get your lunch today, ok?  You had to come all the way in here to talk about what happened last week and I’d like to pick up your lunch for the inconvenience of you having to do that.”

Wow!  I was so pleasantly surprised by that gesture that I didn’t know how to respond when the gentleman behind me, who had overheard the conversation, stepped up and said, pointing to me, “I’m with him!”

It never ceases to amaze me that more businesses don’t get this.  Look he didn’t have to do this but how much did it cost him?  It is very minimal advertising and it WAS for something they didn’t deliver in the first place.  I know mistakes happen.  Just correct them when you have the opportunity.

Thank you so much for reading and remember, expect the most but give more!

by Phil Anderson
OK, so it’s taken me a whole long time to get to Part 2.  I apologize for that.  And here I am spouting advice on customer service when I can’t even keep my own promises!

So, Part 1 was all about the lack of any semblance of creativity shown by Delta Airlines back in October.  Part 2 is all about the GOOD cusomer service I encountered. 

The fact that Shelley had booked through Delta it seemed reasonable to expect they would be the frontrunners in customer service when she missed her original flight.  But at every turn, every corner, it was the same message:  “We’re very sorry but there is nothing we can do.”

That’s why I was amazed that virtually EVERY OTHER AIRLINE I called bent over backwards to try and help her and she didn’t even buy through them.  American Airlines was the best.  They tried everything they could to get her on a flight to Dallas from Washington, D.C. but it never quite worked out.

I am used to flying Alaska Airlines and, in my humble opinion, they are second to none in customer service from their reservations, gate agents, customer service and flight attendants.  I am ALWAYS iimpressed by their focus on making the customer feel happy and welcome.

Another thing happened while in Dallas.  After a very difficult travel day I arrived at the hotel we were to stay.  We had for the airport at around 4 that morning and Shelley went to D.C. and I to Dallas.  I’ve had easy travel days and this wasn’t one of them.  I arrived at the hotel around 5ish, ready to unload about four boxes I had traveled with that day as well as my own bags (we were responsible for all the gift bags that were to be given to speakers and volunteers of this business conference, thus the many boxes).  All I wanted was to get into a pair of shorts and a glass of wine.

THAT wasn’t going to happen!  Fire trucks awaited me as I pulled up to the hotel, with water running and people standing everywhere.  There had been a fire and they had to evacuate the hotel.  I set the boxes on the sidewalk and tried to get as much information as possible as to what was going on and when I could check in.  Then I found out some information that I wasn’t willing to accept:  Everyone that had not checked in (as well as all the people on the floor with the fire) were going to be moved to another hotel. 

And it was even possible the conference would be moved as well.  I opted to wait it out.  So I found the General Manager of the hotel and he helped me find a place for the boxes and bags to be stored while I grabbed a bite to eat.  Turns out I had dinner with the key people of the conference and that was a stroke of luck!  During the dinner it was announced that the conference would NOT have to move and that everything was to go on as scheduled.

When I got back to the hotel I asked if there was any chance I could still check into their hotel instead of being moved and they were happy to accomodate me.  The room I stayed in was a bit smokey but that was ok with me because I was at the same property as the conference and we were able to get the gift bags made and distributed in time.

With some patience on my part and taking the time to take a step back and survey the options I was able to get what I ultimately wanted.  No, not quite the way I envisioned, but it was so much better than having to travel back and forth from property to property.  And the GM of the hotel did an excellent job of….well….putting out the fire by trying to accomodate people as best he could during a very difficult situation. 

Sometimes situations arise that are out of everyone’s control but it’s how we handle those that can help define great customer service. 

Thanks for reading and remember to expect the most, but give even more!

by Phil Anderson
Today’s column falls on both sides of a customer service issue.  Suffice it to say, I’m rather HOT as I write this but I need to write it right away or this little story won’t have the impact it should.

Only ten minutes ago I got off the phone with DirecTV over a billing issue.  Let me set the table:

We cancelled our DirectTV earlier this year for many reasons, the biggest reason being we wanted to cut household costs and it was summer.  Here in North Idaho you’re outside a LOT in the summer!  We went through the requisite processes of sending back the expensive equipment to DirecTV as per their request.

As fall began to settle in there was a glaring priority missing in the house and that was football.  Well, to be honest, HGTV was the other one, not so much for me, but, you know how it goes.  I’m blessed to be with someone that loves football almost as much as I do.  Her USC team and my Husky team (GO DAWGS!) are both teams we follow intently.  Late Saturday afternoons in front of the TV cheering our respective team on have become a tradition.

So, we found an ad in the local paper, called DirecTV and signed up for the least expensive package possible.  No frills, no bells and no whistles.  Happy campers we were!

Until we got the bill and noticed a WHOLE lot of extras on it!  I won’t go into detail but I will say they added these extras without our knowledge.

“….but you’re not paying for Showtime for three months because it’s a promotion.”
“We don’t WANT Showtime.”
“Well, it says you signed up for it.”
“We didn’t.”
“Like I said before, it’s a free promotion so you’re not paying for it.”
“We don’t want it.”

And on and on and on and on it went.

Then they wanted to charge us $10.00 to REMOVE the promotional package we DIDN’T order in the first place!  At one point I asked the lady if she seriously is choosing to argue with me (her customer) over $10.00 that wasn’t even supposed to be on the bill to begin with, and she started with yet another tact.

This went on for almost an hour until I finally said to just transfer me to cancellations because I had had enough.  When cancellations came on the line it took less than five minutes to resolve ALL of my issues AND they offered me a $75.00 credit “for my inconvenience.”

What kind of business model does DirecTV subscribe to?  A model that lures potential customers in with low, promotional offers then “switches” to other extras and if anyone catches it then get into an arguement hoping to outlast their new CUSTOMER (one that pays them MONEY) so that they just give up and pay for those extras?  A model that uses their “customer service department” as a battle ground for people who call in, voicing concerns?  A model that uses their “cancellation department” as the true customer service department?

A BETTER model is that of AT&T.  I am not getting paid a dime by saying this but AT&T has got it right in customer service even though their ACTUAL cell service can lack at times.  In a nutshell, this is how a recent call went with AT&T after I found out a monthly bill was about 50 bucks higher than it should’ve been.  I usually go into the call (it’s way too complicated to check the detailed statement online, sorry) asking why my bill is higher than usual, thinking I will be told it was something that I did and I will just live with it.

This particular time it happened to be that my daughter had bought a ringtone and in doing so signed up for a monthly charge from a third party company.  I asked that her number be blocked from doing that again in the future, without my knowledge, and he (GET THIS!) offered to credit my account!  I didn’t have to ask, cry, snibble, bark, yell, scream OR shout.  HE offered it to me!

Now, I understand you can’t do that ALL the time with ALL your customers as companies will go out of business very quickly that way.  You CAN, however, look at the activity of a customer, see that the customer has been with you for ten years (meaning, he has made your company quite a bit of money!) and has been rather low maintanence.  In this case, he offered to credit my account which, in turn, made me (again) a very happy customer.

Isn’t that what companies want their customers to be?  Happy?

Food for thought, you can use the business model of DirecTV and know there will be a percentage of pissed off customers that “catch” you when you bait and switch and employ confrontational “customer service” people to do battle with them when they call.

OR, you can use the approach that it’s easier and far less expensive to just take care of the customers you have right now.  It cost’s SO MUCH MONEY for companies to get new customers.  Keeping the ones they have is MUCH cheaper.

In reality, DirecTV lost $75.00 they didn’t have to.  That whole dialogue cost me an hour of my day that I won’t get back but at least I have a $75.00 credit.  BUT, I’m still angry.  AT&T ALSO lost some money, about 30ish dollars, that THEY didn’t have to but it was a proactive choice they made.  I lost about ten minutes but it was a warm and fuzzy conversation that I’ve grown accustomed to having when I call AT&T customer service.

There, I feel better, but I still want a glass of wine.  Please feel free to comment.  I’d love to hear from you!

Until the next time a customer service issue strikes a chord in my life, expect the most and give the most!

By the way, I know I still owe you Part II of my travel experiences that are the POSITIVE ones.  I WILL write that by this weekend, I promise.  Thanks for your patience…

By Phil Anderson
This was going to be an extremely long post so I’ve decided to break it up into two separate posts. 

I recently had the opportunity to travel to Dallas, Texas, for a business conference.  During this trip I experienced a plethora of customer service ranging from outstanding to horrific.  I am first going to concentrate on the air portion of the trip.

My boss and somewhat travel companion, Shelley, had to fly to Washington D.C. to speak at a conference.  I flew to Dallas for the business conference that I’ve already mentioned.  She was supposed to finish speaking at the conference and then fly to Dallas and experience the business conference with me.

I will tell you that I flew on Frontier airlines and, although very full, both legs down to Dallas were flawless.  Shelley, for what she told me, had no problems getting to D.C. 

So far so good, right?

Well, the conference that she spoke at went a little long and she found herself having to fight Friday afternoon rush hour traffic, trying to reach the airport and, thus, her flight on time.  She arrived at the gate, frantic, right about the time her flight was to take off.  She had been forced to go through extra security for reasons she wasn’t told and that actually caused her to miss the flight. 

From that point on, Delta Airlines (the airlines she was flying) dropped the ball BIG TIME.  Now, before I get too far into this, I want to make it perfectly clear that it was not Delta Airlines’ fault that Shelley missed that flight.  Everything AFTER that, however, was.

They told her that they were sorry but there was nothing they could do and she would have to take a flight in the morning and PAY FOR IT IN FULL.  They never offered to put her on another airlines, something that is a common practice with quality conscious airlines.  There happened to be three other flights that particular night that would get her into Dallas, TWO of them were direct flights which Delta didn’t even offer.

It took me THREE hours on the phone with Delta as well as other airlines.  Shelley was increasingly more angry and turning into an emotional wreck with each counter she visited that told her, “I’m sorry, there is nothing we can do.”

Only after each time deadline did an offer come back from Delta.  For example, we would be told there is nothing they could do and she would have to get a hotel room for the night and fly the next morning and pay for a new flight.  Then, I would call back and get another “manager” or decision maker (THAT is an oxymoron, for sure!) who would tell me that they COULD help her…oh, wait, if we only knew about this a HALF HOUR AGO!  After explaining we’d been working on this for over an hour and nobody offered this solution then.

I’m probably not making sense or explaining this correctly but I am trying to convey how with every single opportunity Delta had for getting this problem right, they failed.  And they failed miserably.  You should know me enough by now to know I don’t pick fights just to pick fights but this was so poorly handled that I felt it is my duty to report this and get the word out so that other people might know what to look for.

What was the topping on the cake was when I was on hold the airlines music was interrupted by a voice asking if I would stay on the line and answer a few customer service questions that might help them provide better customer service in the future.  I was at my wits end but thought, what the heck, why not but then got disconnected.

Note to businesses, especially those that are hurting in this economic downturn:  When you have the opportunity to become a hero, DO IT!  Over deliver!  There were options and they didn’t even consider them.  Nobody thought outside the box. 

I would venture to guess that had this happened to a person of notoriety such as a Bill Gates, Bill Cosby or Bill Clinton this would never have happened.  Shelley ended up having to spend another $800 to get to Dallas.  Was it initially Delta’s fault.  Nope.  Could they have won a customer for life?  Yep.  Did they?

Well, not only did they NOT win a customer for life, we will NEVER EVER fly Delta Airlines again and everyone I know will know that and why.  We live in a new age of transparency which allows the consumer to have more say when they are treated poorly.  This is one of those times and that’s why I’m writing this.

Thank you for reading and stay tuned for Part 2 which will deal with the POSITIVE’S of the trip because I experienced something that wasn’t the fault of the business but they still took ownership and made many people feel comfortable and at ease at a very crucial time.

When I started this blog it was my hope to help those companies, and people who work for those companies, improve on their customer service.  I’m now going to turn the finger around (after all, when you point your finger at somebody three are still pointing back at you, right?) and look at us as consumers.

We expect so much customer service out of businesses, right?  Friendly smile, quick service, get us what we want, HAVE what we want, make us feel like you really care.  Make us feel like you’re happy that we’re spending money with YOUR company.

Yet, many of us don’t reciprocate that in our everyday lives.  If we’re to expect one thing we should learn to return the favor, yes?  Something really easy to start with is just saying, “Please” or “Thank you” to cashiers and other store staff.  Is that so difficult?

OK, so, I’m NOT perfect, either…

Here’s an example.  I have a (bad) habit of turning out into traffic when a semi-truck is coming down the road in the same lane I am turning out into.  See, if I’m turning out onto a road that is historically very busy, one in which I know from experience is difficult to pull out onto without having to wait, and I notice a small break in traffic with a semi-truck the only thing hindering me, I will go, even though I will probably make him slow down a bit.  If it were a regular car I would not pull out but since it’s a truck I will.  My reasoning?

One:  I don’t want to have to slow down myself once I get up to speed.  If I were behind the semi, I would probably have to do that.
Two:  It’s difficult to see traffic in front of trucks because of their size.
Three:  Because it’s easier to get away with it!

I neglect to think of the driver of the semi-truck and what they have to go through.  It takes them longer to get up to the speed limit because of their weight and then to have somebody pull out in front of them, they have to slow down and take time getting BACK up to speed while the car that slowed them down goes whizzing off in the distance.   That is “NOT” cool, and…..is whizzing even a word?

OK, so that is my bad.  Others I’ve recently noticed are:

People STANDING on the escalator!  Our society is SO lazy.  I experienced this about two weeks ago and then, while going to a movie with my daughter, Tabitha, last night it happened again and I said to myself, “Self, you are GOING to write about this tomorrow!”  And so, here I am.

If you’re GOING to be lazy and NOT walk up the escalator, why not stand on the side so that other people who enjoy working their leg muscles can go by?  There was a fairly young couple in front of us (it was a rather long escalator, too) and they just stood there.  I, as I usually do, briskly walked up the escalator until I got to them and they didn’t even notice.  I think this is rude AND I think it’s a character flaw, but that’s just my opinion.

How ’bout this one:  People who are shopping at the grocery store (or even at a place like Costco) and they have a grocery cart they’re using.  They leave their cart right in the middle of the aisle when they’re looking for something.  Or talking on the phone, oblivious to what’s going on around them.  It’s like they’re in their own little world and nothing else exists.  Very frustrating and VERY rude.

Speaking of stores, those of you, and you KNOW who you are, who empty your cart of all your groceries and then LEAVE your cart right there for somebody else to bring into the cart collection area of the parking lot.  Is this really something you cannot do?  You’ve just wheeled the cart around the store, collecting your groceries, paid for them and pushed the loaded cart out to your car.  NOW, it is too much of a strain to push that EMPTY cart a few feet to the collection area?  A friend of mine makes sure she parks as close to that collection area as possible.  Not a bad stategy but at least she brings the cart back.

Speaking of PARKING LOTS, how ’bout those people who smoke and decide to just empty their ash tray right there in the parking lot???  Makes me cranky just thinking about it!

The next two things are things that happen on a semi-regular basis and they involve businesses instead of everyday people.  The first one has to do with restrooms at fast food restaurants.

I know we are living in a world where the germ is the enemy.  I know and understand that.  I sold Indoor Air Quality Systems, after all.  Fast food restaurants have started installing hand blow dryers for using after you wash your hands.  It creates less garbage, certainly, and all you have to do is tap the bar with your elbow and a blast of warm air is there to dry your hands.  The problem comes when you go to leave the restroom and you have to grab the handle with your freshly cleaned hand.  Does anybody realize just how few people wash their hands after using the restroom?  It’s amazing AND disgusting.  I’ve personally noticed it ALL THE TIME.  So, we are forced to improvise by using our shirt sleeve or wait until somebody comes in.  And is a blast of warm (polluted) restroom air really that clean?

Just have paper towels available so that we can use THAT to open the door handle.  OR, (which I’ve thought about for years) install a motion activated door opener.  That way nobody touches ANYthing in the bathroom.  You go in, wave your hand in front of the faucet and wash your hands, wave them in front of the blow dryer to dry them, make a motion toward the door, thus opening the door, and buh bye, you’re out of the restroom.

How hard could that be to design something like that?

And lastly, and arguably the most minor, can somebody PLEASE develop a can that will open without spitting out some of the contents?  I occasionally have a 16 ounce Monster Energy Drink (OK, FINE, maybe NOT so occaisonally…I’m working on it!) and whenever I open the can it spits some of the drink all over the place.  If I have my iPod or GPS or camera or whatever lying around it can get on those items and create havoc.  I guess I should just learn to open the can outside (or just not buy the product at all!).  I understand this is a very minor thing but, in essence, it shows that customer service can extend far past just human encounters.

If you have any comments on todays blog please don’t hesitate to write them.  If you have any ideas that I didn’t touch upon please send me those, as well.  You can always e-mail me at aphilip369@aol.com, using the subject line Mastering Customer Service.

Other than that, I will see you here next time something catches my attention in the world of customer service.  Until then, expect the most and give even more!

This will be a customer service blog post that I will enjoy writing because it involves customer service to the core.  Most companies never even have the opportunity to fix a problem when it arises because most customers just flat out don’t care to take the time to go through the process.  The result is, customers are unhappy (thus passing their negative experience on to anybody who will listen) and companies are unhappy because they were never given the opportunity to make it better.  Is it fair?  No.  But the reality is, that is what typically happens. 
So what happens when the company IS given the opportunity to fix a problem?  Here is a little story that will shed a lot about customer service. 
As you know I have been in the customer service industry my entire career.  I don’t claim to know everything but I feel I have a very good grasp of what it takes to serve people correctly.  Today I had a situation arise that shows the polar opposites of customer service. 
As you may or may not know I represent a product, right now, that I feel is the absolute best product on the market in it’s industry, Filter Queen, manufactured by Health Mor, Inc.  They manufacture and sell a very good air filter and an amazing high filtration surface cleaner (which many people still insist on calling a vacuum cleaner).  Having owned and operated a cleaning company for over a decade I feel I am uniquely qualified to have an expert opinion on what makes a good cleaning system, having used so many cleaning appliances over the years.
This system costs just under $3,000–not chump change, to be sure.  What the consumer gets is a very well made cleaning system that actually helps people to live a healthier life because they live in a cleaner home.  Typical vacuums that people purchase, at the rate of 700,000 per month in this country (which means their old vacuums go right in to the landfills) actually blow dirt through the filter (or bag) while they are being used to CLEAN.  I guess that’s what we call cleaning in this country!  Then, rather quickly, the filter or bag gets clogged and that’s when the cleaning power of the vacuum is substantially reduced.
With the Filter Queen Majestic, you never lose air flow (cleaning power) because of the patented cyclonic action engineering which is activated by a motor that runs at 30,400 R.P.M. on high speed, plus the filter system filters down to .1 microns, which is the lowest on the market.  Now, to add to this, the Majestic is built to last.  Having compared the many vacuums I have seen recently and purchased in the past to the Majestic I am continually amazed at the quality of this product.  The Defender, which is the air filter, also filters down to .1 microns yet uses no more than .9 amps (on the highest speed).  Very efficient.  Health Mor, Inc has been around since 1928 and it’s no wonder why they are still in business:  They make a great product!
With these two products working in tandem households can virtually get all of the filth OUT of their homes, something most, if not all, vacuums cannot do.  Because of the enherint flaw of their design, they have not got the capabilities to remove all of the dirt and filth out of homes.
Here is what happened this morning, understanding that I am not stating this as fact, only what I’ve been told.
As I arrived at an appointment, knowing the household already owned an older Filter Queen, I said, “I understand you folks have a Filter Queen already.”  The man (I’ll call him Harry) responded, “Yes, we do, and it’s the biggest hunk of junk we’ve ever bought!”  Hmmmm, well, that’s not at all the response I’d expected, to say the least.
I came to find out they have owned the system for eight years and have had problem after problem with the customer service department of Health Mor, Inc, the company that makes Filter Queen.  The air filter they had purchased never worked correctly, from day one, but the company didn’t replace the product!  They finally sold it to a friend who realized that, apparently, the wires had been crossed at the factory.  He fixed that problem and now it works fine.  But the damage had already been done as far as this couple was concerned.
Now, at this point, I am embarassed and a bit bewildered that the company that makes these fairly expensive products that I represent would act this way. I am getting verbally assalted by this couple because of eight years of buildup.  The wife (I’ll call her Melissa) is really in a lather over this.
Let’s review:  A customer that dropped nearly $3,000 eight years ago on a cleaning system and has yet to get good customer service to fix a problem that should have never existed.  What should I do?
Well, first of all, this is, by no stretch of the imagination, MY problem.  But I did take ownership (knowing, full well, I am not getting paid to spend my time and energy to try and fix this problem).  I listened to Melissa complain about how she is STILL waiting to hear back from the company since she was told she would be called back in October, 2009.  There is NO authorized dealer to maintain this cleaner in the near vicinity so she was told she has to MAIL it at HER cost to a dealer 400 miles away (about $130 each way).  She is spending WAY too much on filter cones for the Majestic and it doesn’t even come with the EXPENSIVE (medi-pure) filter.  And there was more as her anger increased. 
I just listened.
I came to find out they both actually LIKE using the Majestic.  It’s easy to use.  It picks up dirt like no other vacuum they’ve had.  AND, it doesn’t blow out dirt, which is extremely important since she has asthma.  She just doesn’t appreciate spending that much money and being forgotten.
After she was through explaining, I asked her if she felt a little better, after venting like that, and she said, “Yes, thank you.  I’ve told so many people about this, on the phone, but NOBODY seems to care!”
I explained to them that this is NOT what I believed to be true about the companies customer service and that I apologized that they have experienced what they had.  I also explained that I had no idea if I could help.  BUT, I would try. 
And try I did. 
It took me about 20 minutes of persistance with the first customer service representative to be connected to the customer service supervisor, Kim, at Health Mor, Inc, (HMI) and she listened to me recant the half hour of verbal abuse I had just withstood with the customer.  I then told Kim she had an opportunity to make a very dissatisfied and angry customer happy again.  I then handed the phone to Melissa who spent about 15 minutes talking with Kim.  There was no immediate resolution but the action had been started.  At the end of the conversation Melissa wasn’t any happier than at the beginning.  Kim didn’t say anything that would help.  I got back on the phone and asked Kim, “Between you and I, Kim, will you please see this through and do whatever you can to make Melissa happy again?”  She said yes.
This story isn’t so much that HMI did poorly and I did well in the grand scheme of customer service.  Just that it amazes me that something so easy to fix isn’t.
I know I am on the front lines, going INTO peoples’ homes and seeing first hand what their trigger points are.  Until today, I had NEVER talked with anybody who had experienced Filter Queen, who wasn’t completely satisfied and enamored with the product.  Even today, they admitted they were happy with the product (not the air filter, which they didn’t even own anymore), just not the customer service.
What large companies seem to think is that it’s ok to lose a percentage of customers because of, whatever, you name it.  They’ll just get them back later and then sell MORE NEW EQUIPMENT!  Do they not understand it costs most of these companies more money to regain customers as it does to keep them?
Nordstrom has created a reputation with their culture of taking back virtually everything, even if you didn’t purchase it at their store!  Talk to ANYbody in business and they’ll tell you that is just flat out, bad business.
What these people fail to realize is that, while, yes, Nordstom pays out millions of dollars every year in refunds, including a percentage of refunds to people that didn’t even purchase the returned item at Nordstom, they more than make up for it because of INCREASED SALES DIRECTLY LINKED TO THEIR CUSTOMER SERVICE THAT IS SECOND TO NONE!

I am hoping that HMI will see that this customer can be an ally instead of an adversary, with the right approach.  On the other side of the coin, not to toot my own horn, but I took ownership in a situation even though I had no part in this customers hostile spirit toward Filter Queen.  It needs to be written, as well, that this is a report of what was said this particular day and is not written as fact.  I’m merely writing this as an example of what might have been done in this situation to ease the customer frustration, at a minimal cost.

Thank you for reading, and, until next time, always expect great customer service.  Unless you’re IN the industry…then, give it!

This post combines two of my strongest passions:  Customer service and wine.  It will be a difficult column for me to write because I won’t be able to name the Winery that displayed one of the greatest acts of customer service I’ve experienced, which frustrates me a bit, but you’ll understand why by the end of the column.

This past Christmas, Shelley roasted a delicious duck for our Christmas dinner.  The holidays in this house have been quite, in recent years, because neither of our children are with us which can lead to a little sadness so we try to keep ourselves busy and find joy in the true meaning of Christmas.  Last year on Christmas day we helped serve dinner to around 350 people at our local community center which was very gratifying.

This year was proving to be even more difficult because of her father’s passing in September.  Somber and melancholy, to be sure, was the mood of Christmas 2009.  So I thought it would be a nice surprise to splurge on a nice bottle of Pinot Noir which we would have with our roasted duck.  Pinot Noir has been our “go-to” wine varietal at Thanksgiving so our thought is it would pair very nicely with the duck.  This particular bottle of wine came from a winery in Oregon, which is quickly gaining attention for producing fabulous Pinot Noirs, and I paid around $30 for it.  Certainly, you can pay much more for a Pinot Noir, especially if you buy one from Burgandy.  But with money at a premium in my life right now, this was a large step for me to take.

Much to our dismay and disappointment the wine wasn’t very good.  It lacked character, depth and was just a flabby wine.  I have a Twitter account and usually “tweet” about the wines we try.  My goal is to NOT bash wines even if we haven’t enjoyed them or have thought them poor.  I might mention my thoughts, even if they’re not good, but never bash.

Although this one wasn’t bad, per se, we were expecting a lot more, as we’ve had our fair share of wonderful Oregon Pinot Noirs.  It can make a terrific meal crest to unbelievable.  On Christmas Eve night I wrote on Twitter, “Bought a (Oregon Winery not mentioning) ’07 Pinot Noir for roasted duck tomorrow. I can’t wait. But I will. Because I really have no choice.”  It was apparent we were looking forward to this.

So after tasting the wine with dinner, on Christmas night I tweeted, “I hate to be negative on Christmas. Had a (Oregon Winery not mentioning) ’07 Pinot Noir with duck tonight and it was watery and flaccid. Not worth the $31.”

Much to the credit of this winery they direct messaged me a genuine apology for our disappointing experience with their Pinot Noir and then asking, first, where I had bought it and then, in another direct message, asked for my address so they could ship another bottle of that same Pinot Noir and an alternative bottle of Pinot Noir. 

Now keep in mind, we are talking about alcohol here.  The reason I am not mentioning the winery by name is because two bad things could happen that would out weigh the good.  People might think that THEY TOO will write a bad review on Twitter or Facebook just to get some free wine!  Not only would those made up comments falsely tarnish the reputation of this winery (with the competition for the wine lovers dollar that is huge) it would also cost the winery money for GIVING wine away and also paying for the shipping. 

My comments were never motivated by the expectation of getting free wine out of it.  In fact, I didn’t even follow this winery until AFTER they direct messaged me, which makes their act of customer service so special.  I have had nothing but professional conversation through e-mail with Sasha, the Marketing Manager and Sales Analyst for the winery.

It’s SO nice to see that their are companies that understand and embrace true customer service.  They did NOT have to recognize the comment I made on Twitter.  They did NOT have to apologize for their wine not meeting our expectations.  They did NOT have to send me another bottle, let alone TWO!  But they did all three AND without being prompted to do so.  This is a great example of outstanding customer service.  I will do everything I can to promote their winery and their wine.  With that being said I really, REALLY hope the bottle that was sent is good so I can promote their winery with a good conscience!  : )

Other companies can use this experience I had as an example of great customer service.  It’s not about the problem but how the problem is taken care of.  If you do that the upside is SO much higher than the downside is down.  Nordstrom has made their reputation on that very same concept.  And they have lost a lot of money with refunds that should never have been refunded.  But the upside is so much higher than the downside is down for not refunding.

Thank you for reading.  Now go pour youself a glass of your favorite wine and think of all the great things you have in your life to be thankful for.  Right now, I am thankful that I will get another opportunity to enjoy a Pinot Noir from a winery that thought enough of themselves to send me another bottle of wine after I had a disppointing initial experience.  If they hadn’t done that I would never have purchased their wine again. 

Til next time, expect great customer service!

There comes a time in any business, I don’t really care what type it is, that you have a pivotal encounter with a customer.  During this encounter it will be decided, by the customer, if you are a company they want to do business with in the future or not.  One never knows when these encounters will take place or how often.  They don’t announce themselves.  They are most cerainly not on the calender.  In fact, during many of these encounters, neither the customer nor the actual company representative know it’s a pivotal customer encounter until well after the encounter.

A pivotal customer encounter happens when there is an opportunity to make a customer happy outside the normal, typical parameters of a transaction or desired transaction.  This happened to me when I went to purchase a gift certificate for my significant other for her birthday at a place called Bling, a local Nail Salon and Spa.  For some strange reason they close at 3 PM on Saturday’s and it was around 5 PM.  Their sign said they were open and somebody was sitting at the reception desk.  The door, however, was locked.  Not a good start.  (If you’re closed, have the “Closed” sign up.)

The lady behind the desk indicated through mouthed words that they were, indeed, closed.  I, in like fashion, implied I only needed to purchase a gift certificate.  She nodded and went somewhere.  She returned, opened the door and our conversation went something like this:

Me:           Hi, would it be possible to get a gift certificate?

Her:         I’m sorry, the girl that does gift certificates left around 3, when we close, and the computer’s closed up and everything.

Me:          Really?  Man, I had no idea you closed at 3 and your sign says that you’re open.  Her birthday is tomorrow; I know, I SHOULD have done this earlier.  I’ll write a check if it will help.  Isn’t there any way we can do this now?  Please?

Her:         <slight pause>  Yeah, I think we can find a way to do this.  C’mon in.

And THAT was the pivotal customer encounter for this person at that time.  I found out a couple of days later she is the owner of the salon.  It shouldn’t have even been a question.  Now, was I wrong in not planning earlier?  Of course.  But, had she not sold me (key word:  SOLD) the gift certificate because they were technically closed I would never have come back and she wouldn’t have the money IN HAND that I gave her for services that will be rendered in the future. 

Now, let’s say that nobody was in there and the door was locked.  Would I have felt the same way?  No, not at all.  But when there is somebody there and you’ve been acknowledged then it is necessary, in my opinion, to still serve your customer. 

Not only will I go back to buy things there in the future, I will also tell people about my experience AND they are getting their name mentioned in this widespread, ever poplular blog that reaches millions and millions of people worldwide. 

This person absolutely passed with flying colors in this pivotal customer encounter.  By doing things like this ALL the time it helps ensure the culture of the business and company to always serve their customers. 

Until next time, be sure to do the right thing for the right reason and the money will continue to come.  Expect the most and give the most.

Last week I was at a grocery store here in North Idaho that has obviously tried to step up their customer service.  I first noticed in Seattle when I lived there and now I see it here in Coeur d’Alene, so it’s something that the company has focused on training their employees to implement. 

If you ask an employee where something is they politely tell you the aisle and either say, “Here, let me show you”, or “Would you like me to show you?”  Both are great replies.  They will actually drop what they’re doing, whatever that may be, and walk you to the aisle and point out the product in question. 

I think this is such a simple but powerful idea and it shows great to the customer.  But can customer service ever go overboard?

Perhaps. 

Another thing they do is if you’ve bought two or more items they will ask you if you’d like some help out to the car.  At first glance that may also seem like a great idea.  But when I bought one energy drink and one small blank video tape (to tape a training I wanted to see over and over), the cashier asked if I’d like some help out to my car.

We’re talking a 16 ounce drink and a small tape that weighs an ounce, if that.  I joked that I would need one person to carry each item and then said, “No, I’ll be fine.”

I really like the idea of offering customers these added services.  And, although I’m not a body builder by any stretch of the imagination, I am 6 foot 3 inches and about 215 pounds and it should be rather obvious that I wouldn’t be needing any extra help out to my car with my purchases.

Is this nit picky?  Maybe.  But consider this:

By asking me that question I started to doubt the genuineness of the question.  You see, when an employee asks if they could show you where a product is, or if you need help out to the car, it brings a human element to the experience.  That is something that seems to be going by the wayside so when we experience it it makes us feel good.  It also can be the start of a relationship with store customers.  There are just so many positives that come out of these simple little things. 

But when it’s obvious that no help is needed but the question still gets asked it kind of loses some of its authenticity.  Of course, it’s probably always better to error on the side of giving more than less but it was just an observation on my part.

What do you think?