Page 16 - Demo

16|OctOber 2020
Check Your Customer Service
Slippery rOck Gazette
Do what you say you are going to do, and then do just a little bit more. If there’s a legit issue, go take care of it quickly. (Hey, I know there are people out there who you will never make happy.) Just remember, if you take care of them during hard times, they will remember you in good times.
Now, before you start complain- ing that you are just as stressed and anxious as they are, making someone happy or making some- one smile makes you feel better, too. It’s a chemical reaction in your brain that has to do with do- pamine, serotonin, neurotransmit- ters and a bunch of medical stuff that you and I will probably never understand. It just works.
So, put a smile on your face and go out to do the best job you can, plus a bit extra, if necessary. It makes them happy and lowers their stress levels in turn, making you happy, and lowering your stress levels. Now, somehow I think that’s what we all need these days – more happiness and less stress. Don’t you agree?
Please send your thoughts on this article to Sharon Koehler at Sharon@asdrva.rocks.
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When I arrived at the chapel, I found out that two other people didn’t receive the flowers ordered from this place, either.
Now, as if this wasn’t bad enough, they called me back hours after the service and wanted to deliver then. I said no, that the service was over, just refund my money. Then they wanted to deliver to the family. I said, “Sure, hop in your little delivery van and deliver those flowers to Richmond, Virginia. I’ll give you my address. It’s only 600 miles.”
They said no, and again I asked for a refund. Then they wanted to give me a $20 store credit (I spent over $100 on the flower ar- rangement). Again: “No, just re- fund my money.” Then they told me point blank that they would not refund my money, that they had made the arrangement. I told them point blank that if they did not refund my money I would contact Visa, get a refund and they could deal with Visa. Also, I would contact the BBB to file
a complaint, and possibly even the police, as I considered this to be fraud. That seemed to get their attention. They agreed to refund all my money. Then, after all that, they had the audacity to send me a review request! I think you all can imagine what my review said!
The thing is, this is not an iso- lated incident. I’ve heard similar stories from many people.
My next-door neighbor ordered a custom made T-shirt. When it arrived it was the wrong color and the wrong size. She had to argue with the vendor for over a week to get them to send her a new one.
My BFF ordered a book and the wrong book was delivered. She had to go back and forth for sev- eral days with the merchant and send pictures of the book in the company packaging before they would send her the right one.
Another friend of mine got a message that her package (a birth- day gift for her mom) had been delivered to her mailbox. She checked her mailbox 15 minutes later, and it wasn’t there. It never showed up. She is still trying to
get a replacement.
My cousin bought a TV at a na-
tional chain store, took it home, unboxed it and found the picture screen had a visible defect. The store didn’t want to replace it. He had to call their home office to get it taken care of.
Other examples: I also know of food delivered to the wrong house, and an internet company taking three weeks to fix a documented problem. There’s more – the list goes on and on. What is actually very concerning is that this is not just a mom and pop shop problem or a big corporate issue. A dis- tinct lack of customer service is occurring across the board, rural and city, big and small companies alike. That’s a scary trend.
These are not good days for customer service.
The thing is, these times should be the times of GREAT customer service. People are more stressed and worried about more things than probably most any other time in recent history. If custom- ers want or need to deal with you now when they are stressed and anxious beyond all reasonable limits, then this is the time for companies to put their best foot forward.
Do the best job you can. Go the extra mile. Maybe offer a quicker turnaround or a free sink. (We all have leftover sinks sitting in our shops collecting dust.) Give them a can of cleaner with the job. Send them a thank you note.
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