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Customers First
Bob Ryan, About Purpose, Inc. ©2006
We’ve moved. Well, that’s not what this edition is about, but it certainly introduced me to a subject that should be of use to everyone. In the process of moving, I had an opportunity to notice how different companies handle customer service. And it’s not always “customers first.” In fact, it was a case of “The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.”
The Good – Our electric provider turns out to be one of the good examples of customer service. Not only did they take care of everything in one phone call, but they connected me with a free service that then handled almost every other address change, service transfer, etc. It was a clear case of “customers first.” No hoops to jump through, no extra charges for transferring service from one address to another, no inconvenience at all.
The Bad – Our old phone company turned out to be a hassle. In spite of what I had heard about portability, our number wasn’t. The new phone company tried to secure a release of the number from the old company but was refused. This, in spite of the 8 year history we had with the old company and the 26 years with the same number through several other moves. The customer’s needs clearly were not valued. (Although the new company worked very hard to get me numbers that were at least similar.)
The Ugly – In this category, we have a retailer – a big box building and home improvement company. We spent about $400 there for paint, hardware, supplies, etc. over about 5 shopping trips. There was a mail-in rebate program running in which I could mail in the UPC code for $6 per gallon of paint. I went to return one gallon of plain white primer and buy an additional gallon of custom-mixed paint. The store wouldn’t take back the primer because I had removed the UPC code already. I explained that I would promise not to send in the bogus rebate claim. “No.” How about if I detach and discard the UPC code for the custom paint right here in front of you? “No.” Even talking to a supervisor didn’t work. So, I had to make yet one more trip. Customers first? Hardly.
Do you consciously and consistently put customers first? Do you go above and beyond, delighting customers by offering more than they ask? Do you make service a seamless experience?
Do you have policies and practices that inconvenience customers? Do you fail to show customers you value them? Is it possible that even your customer incentives turn out to be disincentives? Do you train your front line people and their supervisors in problem solving and customer service? (Was losing a customer’s good will worth the $6 even if I had decided to be unethical and send in the extra rebate?)
Putting customers first isn’t just good business. It is the only way to do business. Oh sure, the telephone company and the big box company will thrive without me. But their reputation will be forever sullied in my mind. And I can’t help but wonder how the employees who had to deliver the bad news to me must feel. Because I was polite to them, they must begin to wonder about the wisdom of their employer. And morale will likely suffer.
Ask yourself, your employees, and your customers how you’re doing in putting customers first.