I admire good customer service – maybe because it’s so hard to find.
Recently, I had some great customer service experiences and some not so great.
We have all heard the “overnight” success stories of clever individuals who harnessed the power of the newest form of communication.
The great ones understand the importance of delivering good customer service. Here are characteristics they have in common.
U Over I
How inclined are you to buy something from a seller with an advertisement all about them?
Some sellers may be very successful but when the approach is how crazy it would be to do business with anyone else, I’m inclined to go elsewhere.
Some of the most successful business people understand humility. That doesn’t mean they don’t have healthy egos. It does mean they know how to make it about you and not them.
Great – I am a fan of author, Barbara Delinsky. I recently learned that Barbara is a breast cancer survivor and she had written a book called Uplift.
I put a comment on her website that I was a longtime walker in the Susan G. Komen 3-Day, 60-mile walk for breast cancer. I said I would wear Barbara’s name as one of the women I was honoring during the Walk.
About a week later, I went to my mailbox and found a water bottle with the Uplift logo supporting breast cancer research and a personalized letter from Barbara thanking me for my support.
Barbara has 19 New York Times best sellers and over 65 books. Even if someone who works for her handled her gift and letter, it was a great example of U over I. The simple gesture made me feel appreciated by a very successful author.
Not So Great – A website for an insurance agent promoting himself as someone who secured health insurance coverage for difficult to insure people had the following tagline: You don’t get denied until I say you do.
Fighting for the little guy is admirable, but this tagline seems more arrogant than supportive. A different approach puts the emphasis back on the customer: Fighting for your health insurance needs.
Delivering Solutions
Customers look for solutions to their needs.
From the emergency of, “My computer just crashed” to “I feel like buying a new book,” needs come in all shapes and sizes. How well a business delivers a solution to the customer’s need separates the great from the not so great.
Great – I recently purchased Scribe SEO, a Word Press plug-in that analyzes blog posts for Search Engine Optimization (SEO). This is a great tool for non-techy types like me, but I really appreciate the great customer service.
A recent upgrade to the software delivered some unexpected lower SEO scores for a recent post. I sent an online problem request notice. Within two hours, I received three follow-up emails and an explanation of what I could do to improve the SEO score.
It was not a bug in the system and ScribeSEO walked me through how to make a few minor adjustments to my post for a higher SEO score. They asked if they could use my report in a video training and would feature my health care blog in exchange for my agreement.
The feedback was supportive, the video was gracious (a couple of references to my “well-written” post) and I never felt stupid for not being able to “fix” the problem.
Not So Great - I had signed up for a six-month social media training program. I used Twitter to ask a question of the instructor. I primarily used that platform because I could not find an email address (only a Customer Service form for problems) and I knew this instructor tweeted a lot.
Kudos for a quick response; however, telling me to post my question on Facebook – not so great.
Maybe the instructor had a great solution for my question, but I’ll never know because the response irritated me so much that I didn’t pursue it.
Responsiveness and Respect
I’ll admit it – I do not have thousands of fans, followers, friends, connections or whatever other social media distinction I am forgetting.
I have not had the problem of responding to inquiries or questions of legions of people. But, no one likes the feeling of being ignored or needing to follow up constantly on a problem.
No matter how successful the company, they won’t stay that way long if they are not responsive to customers and prospects.
Great - Besides ScribeSEO, another example of great responsiveness was a recent experience I had with Office Depot. I purchased a computer desk from them with a two-year replacement warranty. I don’t know if it’s a sign of how hard I’m working but the keyboard tray broke.
I called Office Depot who handled my request quickly and easily and delivered a check within a week of me faxing the product form information. I totally expected this to go the route of the illusive rebate, requiring months of follow-up. It ws a pleasant surprise.
Not So Great – In responding to an email with course information, I received the following email response. It’s been edited, but you’ll get the idea.
Due to an overwhelming amount of incoming daily email, general requests and questions about XYZ, as well as the demands on my time to serve my clients, I am only able to respond personally to emails from my business partners and VIP clients.
So, in order for you to get the attention you deserve, please submit a request at my help desk so my VA team can assist you.
Not only ignored but how dare I think that this person has time for me!
You probably noticed that there are many overlapping characteristics to good customer service.
Businesses that put their needs first and customers’ second, soon learn how to lose customers.
What customer service horror stories do you have?
