They could have saved me as a customer (Update from last month’s story)
#CatalystBusinessNewsletter
So, last month, I wrote about a poor customer service experience I had in the 4th quarter…and I tossed out a pretty solid New Year’s Resolution for all of you business owners and managers: BETTER…AMAZING…QUICK…RESPONSIVE…MIND BLOWING…CUSTOMER SERVICE!
What was my poor customer service: NUTSHELL: I ordered a product. It arrived with a flaw. I reached out to the company with whom I gifted my hard-earned money, asking for a replacement product. It was an on-line purchase, so the only manner of contact was via email.
After a few repeated emails to their “customer service” department, I finally received a response…2 weeks later. Then, after I answered their questions and sent them a picture of the flawed product, they went dark again.
When I wrote my previous article on the experience (Dec 11)… it had been 2 weeks since their tardy reply, without hearing back from them again. Needless to say, it was quite frustrating, and frustration is a death sentence for customer satisfaction and retention!
WELL, surprise, surprise, on January 10th, I received an exceptionally apologetic email from them. They proclaimed their embarrassment and asked me to send the picture of the flawed product once again.
Honestly, I had written this whole thing off…but what the heck…I’m always up for some entertainment. So, I sent them the flawed product picture, AGAIN. The ideas in my mind were: Surprise Me! Ball’s In Your Court!
AND…they failed…again.
COME ON GUYS!!
They re-opened the door. Got my hopes up. Planted the seed that they might just actually be interested in fixing the problem. Show me that I and the money I gifted them are important to them. Then, they dropped the ball…AGAIN!
They actually could have saved me as a customer: If they would have replied quickly…and if 2-3 days later I would have been surprised with a replacement product on my doorstep. But alas, here we are…again.
I know this sounds so simple folks. Basic. Elementary…but it works:
Answer the phone. Return emails. Listen. Solve problems. Fix mistakes. Do this at a lightening pace…and you win!
Never think you’ve made it to the Customer Service Valhalla! Always keep your eye on the ball of improvement!
Good Luck in 2022!
Spencer Rubin is a sales/marketing expert and a passionate advocate for the success of small, local business owners. To sign up for Spencer’s weekly Catalyst Newsletter, contact 971-732-4745. “Don’t give up, don’t EVER give up” ~Coach Jim Valvano
