Service is the Heart of Business

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If You Don't Ask...

I recently took my car in for prescribed service.  The very next day, I received an email promotion from the dealership offering $X off of various amounts of total service performed.  My gracious response was that I'd love to have $X credited for the service I'd had performed the day before.  Because I asked, and I assume they evaluated the length of time I'd been a loyal customer, my request was granted.  The carefully worded exclusions for previously rendered service did not thwart me, nor did they prevent my request from being honored.

Often, our reasonable requests will be honored.  But if we merely fume about missing a deadline by a few hours, we won't have the chance to be pleasantly rewarded for our patronage.

Asking is the easiest way to potentially get what we seek.

Be Your Best Self

We are all asked to adapt and embrace change - sometimes more frequently than we are willing to accept.  However, when we are part of a large organization and change is thrust upon us, we need to remember that all of our actions impact our customers.  Though our competence with new systems may be minimal, our sincerity in working through the changes on their behalf will be the stories positively retold.

When I react as I'd like to be treated or know (from asking) that a customer would like to be treated, I am able to put my best self forward.

Amazing Postal Service

As expected, my 4:25 p.m. Southwest flight arrived early.  Traffic moved smoothly.  For those who don't procrastinate, it's worth mentioning that today is the deadline for filing 2010 U.S. Income Tax Returns.  Our long-time CPA had slogged through the paperwork we provided and our family returns were waiting for signatures, money and postage.  I completed all of the necessary steps and arrived at my neighborhood Post Office at their 5:30 p.m. closing time.  An accommodating supervisor spared me the 20 minute self-serve ordeal and allowed me to be their last customer of the day.  The customer service representative at the window handled my transaction in 2 minutes or less and provided a receipt that our 5 returns were posted to their various destinations.

There are wonderfully helpful people everywhere.  When we receive amazing service, one way to pay it forward is to share the experience.

Customer Service is Delivered by Individuals

I had the opportunity to experience very different levels of customer service at two locations of a retailer with over 1000 North American locations.  My guess is that corporate hopes that all locations deliver the level of service that I experienced at my second stop.  My goal was to acquire 50 frames for an upcoming recognition event.  I've purchased hundreds of these frames during the past few years.  On-line purchase is not an option, but I've never had a problem getting the quantities needed because there are 3 stores within fairly close proximity to my home and office.  Perhaps my post-Christmas timing was the problem for this event.  My closest store had only 9 frames.  Their attempts to call the two other stores closest to me yielded 5 at one store and 11 at the other store.  Special order was an option with a four week non-guaranteed delivery.  And my request to call me when they received additional frames (deliveries occur 3 times per week but they don't know what inventory they will get) was not successful.

When I stopped by store #2 to pick up the five frames they had in stock, the Store Manager and another associate checked the inventories of several Houston area stores.  They took my contact information and called later that day with the great news that they had 31 more frames waiting at their store for me. 

Customer service (or lack thereof) has enormous impact on our perceptions, feedback that we share and our willingness to become loyal to a company or service provider.