Recently I’ve been on the receiving end of both truly awesome and truly horrific customer service. I’ve also received service that technically, should have been good but left me adrift. It’s caused me to take a deep look at how I treat my own customers. Here are just a few of the things that I’ve noticed in my life lately and the client service lessons that I’ve learned from them.
1. I was at a gas station and the attendant washed my windows. I thought, “Wow, I don’t remember the last time a gas station attendant washed my windows! I wish this station was closer to my house.” By the way, in case you’re wondering I live in NJ, there are no self-service pumps here.
Lesson: Surprise your clients. Do something special that is not part of your normal package or program. It could be a small gift, a gesture, a note, quick phone call, email or whatever. Show them that you care about them and that you are happy to have them as your client.
2. I was waiting in a doctor’s office when a nurse walked through the waiting room and had a side conversation with the receptionist. She was mocking a patient and said “I won’t pay my co-pay but I love you guys”. I thought “Hey, don’t you realize that I can hear you and that I pay your salary? What do you think about me? It’s a good thing I have a good relationship with the doctor or I’d never come back.”
Lesson: Well, there are two here…be aware of what you are thinking and saying about your clients. If you’re thinking about your clients in a negative way it will always show even if you don’t think they can hear you. You always have a choice in whether or not to serve a client. If you decide to serve that client do it with a smile on your face and the belief that they deserve your attention. Oh and lesson two…remember that your staff is an extension of yourself.
3. I spent three nights in a hotel. I registered for their “Premier Guest” program because there was no charge to enroll and got me free internet access. When I showed up at the hotel there was an envelope waiting for me on a rack that had my key in it. There were no lines to wait on and nobody I needed to deal with. When I got to my room I thought, “Hmmm, very convenient but I somehow feel disconnected from the hotel and where is the fitness center?”
Lesson: Just because you think you are doing a favor for your clients doesn’t mean you’re not short-changing them. I am sure that the hotel I stayed at believed that I wanted convenience and speed. With that, they are right. But by giving me that convenience, they cut out the personal touch. Take the time to make sure that when you add a feature or benefit that you are not inadvertently taking something else away.
4. Several years ago I called to make an appointment for my annual checkup with my doctor. When I got there (almost 2-months later) my doctor told me that I need to make another appointment for a physical. Turns out that when I called I made an appointment for a “check-up”. He made me feel like an idiot. I thought “Huh, you’re joking! There’s a difference? How am I supposed to know? Will my insurance company cover a second visit? Don’t you train your staff?” I’m never coming back.”
Lesson: Train your staff and NEVER make a client feel foolish.
5. I went to Whole Foods to pick up a few things including my favorite tea. I found the tea I wanted, it was on the top shelf. I’m 5’1″. I couldn’t reach it. There was a Whole Foods employee there. She was also “vertically challenged”. Within a minute she grabbed a step stool and got me my tea. When I went to check out the cash register attendant asked me if I found everything I needed and bagged my purchases.
Lesson: Be available when a customer has a problem and do your best to solve it quickly and completely.
Bonus lesson: If you mess up, and you will, apologize immediately and do whatever you can do to make it right.
What are some customer service experiences you’ve had that you’ve learned from? Please share them with me.
The story about the “check-up” vs “physical” really got to me. These days a lot of systems give you a place to provide feedback on your providers. But the big point is right – the doc should have trained his staff. It’s like going to a hair salon for a color job: they always ask if it’s 1 process or 2 or highlights.
A surprising number of “big name” marketers do not train their VAs in customer service and they are so insulated they don’t realize what is happening.
Once I wanted to advertise in someone’s ezine at the special rate but I had a question; several weeks later, a VA wrote back, saying, “Well, I guess I didn’t get around to you and the special is over…”
Another time I got a message “Congratulations! You have made an affiliate sale!”
The VA wrote back, “Oh, we don’t give commission on that product. I’m sure you will understand that it’s a private sale.”
Well, no, I don’t. If you’re bragging about earning a gazillion dollars and you’ve got VA’s running around like mice, you can remember to uncheck the box for “Pay affiliate commission.” And if you don’t forget, you can send a compensatory gift – a small gift certificate for Amazon, for instance.
A few years ago I got so irked i wrote an ebook (and forget to raise the price – just realized)
http://www.CopywritingWithCathy.com/custsvc.html
We need to pay more attention to these issues.
Where do I begin? I can’t decide – I love it all – 100%.
Seriously, this is amazing – each lesson is equally as valuable as the other and can never be over-stated! xxoo
Carrie – awesome, AWESOME article!
Recent amazing customer service: My hair salon called me up out of the blue to say how much they appreciate having me as a client. Not to remind me of an appointment. Not to sell me anything. Just to say they love me – so great!
Thanks for sharing these great points, Carrie!
Isn’t it amazing how the simplest thing can make such a huge difference. All they did was make a quick phone call. Customer service can be so easy and it is so appreciated when you get it. Thanks for sharing Kim!
Love this article, Carrie! I used to produce the North American Conference on Customer Management where we had about 1000 passion customer service peeps coming to learn from the best of the best in this field.
It doesn’t take much to make a customer feel important … you simply need to THINK about the customer experience, aim to surprise and delight, get feedback constantly and make tweaks when necessary.
Carrie,
Customer service is so important and I always take note when someone goes above and beyond. Recently I was visiting Sacramento and the window or my vehicle was smashed out. This happened in the parking lot of a Marriott where I was staying. The staff were fabulous, they filed the police report online, cleaned up the glass and even recommended mobile glass replacement companies so I didn’t have to drive my modified “open air” vehicle.
The truth is people focus more on what they don’t get or the negative service they remember. That’s why it’s even more important to go above and beyond what is expected when it comes to customer service.
Write on!~
Lisa