I have had plenty of time to put my thoughts together for the follow up of the first “Good Customer Service“ article, and I have come to one conclusion: I love my job! I have the most colorful people talk to me from all over the nation, and I get paid to do it?? What a country!
Last time we left off, I had quite a problem on my hands. I needed to call my customer back to straighten out the mixup she was experiencing. The delivery of her items were in bad shape. **See previous blog.
After I phoned my customer, she began to tell me how badly everything had gone. I let her speak for a while and when she stopped to take a breath, I interjected my first comment.
- The first thing out of my mouth was to ease her mind by letting her know that all her money had been refunded and she was not out one, red cent. After telling her this, I could immediately sense a more relaxed tone in her voice. She knew I was understanding of her situation and I was in her corner.
- I told her that I understood her frustration and I was just as disappointed--I really was.
- I then asked her if we had missed the event. Her event would be in 2 days. I had already contacted the supplier and they had insured me that they would reprint the entire job and it would be out that same day. I offered my customer the opportunity to take advantage of this. She declined the offer. The fact was that she didn't necessarily need the items, but she would have liked to have had them with her other giveaways.
- Once we were all calm, I asked her to repeat things as we went through it together. I let her know I was taking notes and wanted to get the facts correct.
- I asked questions as she talked, to clarify each point. This allowed me the opportunity to go over each of the points that she raised . I was glad to hear her becoming more comfortable with talking about it.
- I addressed it more closely when she used words like “every” and “all”. We need to deal with what is real. I am already going to make sure that she is compensated for having to be inconvenienced and she knows it. So she is not trying to gain more sympathy, she knows she already has all my sympathy.
After we got all the facts straight, I finished taking down all the information I would need and began to ask her what we could do for her now. I had been her “friend” through this interaction and was continuing to be one, so she didn't want more from me than was due her.
I made her an offer for a discounted product in the near future and she immediately jumped on the opportunity to do business with us again.
If I had ignored her problem, or if I had tried to blame someone else, she wouldn't have trusted me. I really would not deserve her if I was going to behave in that manner. I have worked for the relationship that we have and I covet it. I have been there from the beginning with my customer and I don't want anyone else to take care of her in the good times or the bad. I am going to go the extra mile for her.
As for my supplier problem: It was a one-time problem. These people are as right as rain and they were as confused by what happened as we were. Their CSR made sure that I was not our one, red cent. He made sure to ask questions and write down everything I said. He made an offer to compensate our organization for the inconvenience and embarrassment we had suffered. They made me feel important.
It's all about how we treat each other, isn't it? As we treat each other with respect and take the time to listen, we pass on that attitude to the next person. And so on, and so on...
In the long run, the understanding we gain as we go through these interesting experiences of life are like pennies on the ground. You can either make the effort to bend over and pick them up, or pass them by and leave them for someone else. My daddy used to say that, “a man too rich to pick up a penny on the street was really a poor man.”
And, now on an interesting note: In case you've ever wondered--there is a customer service week: Oct. 3-7. Let's all make it a good one!!