Number 32: Autumn 2005
Abused Consumers Forced to Change Buying Habits
by Abe WalkingBear Sanchez
Editor's comment: Abe WalkingBear Sanchez's stories of customer service clearly illustrate the fact that this is an area in which organisations can provide genuine differentiation against their competitors. However, it appears that, all too frequently, the lack of decent customer service is the best way to lose customers.
London
Over dinner/supper with a group of European business executives the conversation turned to customer service. One man who'd off and on worked and lived in the States said that over the years he'd noticed a distinct and unmistakably decline in the level of customer service. "I can remember when the US led the world in customer service," he said, "but no more." No one, including myself, disagreed.
Once we have a satisfactory relationship with a vendor, supplier, hotel chain or cable company we are reluctant to change. We don't want to invest the time and energy in finding a replacement, but sometimes you have no choice. Better the devil you don't know than the one you do know.
The following two stories about breakdowns in customer service had very different endings.
Kansas City, MO
I was going to be in Kansas City for two nights and I had booked rooms at two different locations with the same hotel chain I always used. This international chain, named after a Bing Crosby movie which is aired at Christmas, is moderately priced. Their hotels are often easy to get into and get out of. There are no fat warm cookies at check in, but if you are, as I am, a member of their frequent stayer program there is a newspaper at your door in the morning.
The quality of the hotels, their free breakfast and newspaper varies from hotel to hotel. Once in the Los Angeles area I stayed at one being managed by some Indian folks; yes you could smell the curry at check in, and it smelled good. In the morning I checked for my newspaper and found nothing. I called the front desk and told them I hadn't gotten a paper. A man brought me a paper and after I'd tipped him and he'd left I found that he'd brought a free shopping guide and not a real newspaper.
Before leaving for Kansas City, I'd gone to the hotel chain's website and printed out maps and directions. I followed the directions from the airport and ended up in the middle of a residential neighborhood. Cell phones are great; I called the hotel and was given new directions.
Once I'd backtracked out of the neighborhood the hotel was easy to find. While checking in I said to the desk clerk that I had followed the directions given on the website, but they were wrong. He started to laugh and said "yeah, they're wrong. It happens to people all the time." "Ha Ha" I lost it. "It's not funny to me!" I said in a loud and cross voice. The young man stopped laughing. I asked, "If you are aware that the directions on the website are wrong, why haven't they been corrected?" "We've told them." he answered. I collected my key and went to my room to cool off.
While all hotels in this chain carry the same name, many are not owned by the company. Lack of quality control creates a sad situation for the good hotels; they also pay and suffer for the actions of the bad ones.
On returning home, I called the customer service number on my Gold frequent stayer card. I wanted to know why, if as the desk clerk had said they knew the directions were wrong, didn't they correct their website? "Mumbo, jumbo, it ain't my department, but I'm sorry." is what I was told. I asked to speak with the customer service manager and after a long hold time, more mumbo and jumbo.
I called the hotel and asked to speak with the general manager. "Don't have one.", I was told. I left a message for the acting manager and never got a return call. I called customer service back and said the them, "you guarantee customer satisfaction…well, I'm not satisfied and I want my money back." More mumbo, jumbo. I emailed corporate, attention: the CEO and COO. I challenged them to show some courage and call me, I never heard back. In a competitive business environment, in a world of change and more change, a business must provide quality in its products or services and quality in customer service, or risk running off customers. Since using up my free nights I've not stayed with this hotel chain.
Canon City, CO
"Send all the email you want" we were told when we switched over to a cable company as our ISP. It turned out not to be so. We market my speaking and training via the internet using a model I developed called the Iceberg Internet Marketing Model.
I write articles like this one and then we do a broadcast email to the ezines, publications and broadcasters on our publications email list. We also send the articles to associations and corporations for posting to their websites. And we send the articles to those who have asked to be placed on our email list.
Recently, we tried to do a broadcast and it wouldn't work. Hours, and days later after talking with the cable company tech support people…it still didn't work. Time and again we were told that the problem had to be on our end because they would not block an email port; well they did.
I called the local general manager twice and left messages…never got a return call. I talked to a local commercial guy who assured me he'd have the block removed right away and would put us on a new program for a larger monthly fee. He didn't remove the block and didn't return 3 phone calls.
I called corporate expecting a run-around, instead I was in for a surprise. I left a message for the VP of Operations and he called me. I spoke with the CEO's assistant and she apologized and said she'd get hold of someone and have them call me. Son of a gun, the VP of Technology called back, apologized and said the problem would be fixed.
Two field visits later by their techs, and we were up and running and the company is supposed to issue a credit for our being unable to send or receive email or access the internet for almost a week. They also claim that their people will be better trained so that the left hand knows about the right hand. We have also received follow up calls from the state Manager and VP of Technology.
Bad News is Good News
Things are going to go wrong, count on it. And when things go wrong how do we respond? Do we blame the customer for being so dumb as to do business with us, or do we walk our talk and make things right?
Those dealing with customer problems should be told to view customer calls for what they are, opportunities to do things better; and not a pain that goes with being in business.
Great Guys
During the days when we couldn't figure out why we couldn't send email we'd contacted our website host, OLM. Even though the problem was not on their end, this great guy named Craig did all he could to help. He even called back later to check and see if things had been fixed. Thank you Craig, may you proliferate and turn out a new generation of great customer service guys.
WalkingBear's Rules for Excellent Customer Service
If there's a delay in answering calls give the customer the choice of leaving a message or holding…and if they leave a message, call them back.
Apologize and listen to the problem and even if the source is the customer's own stupidity, ask how you can help.
Don't transfer calls and make customers go through the same story over and over…take ownership and fix it or take it to the person who can.
Make customers whole. It's not enough to say you're sorry when you are at fault.
Learn from the customers. Listen for the source of problems and you'll identify areas of opportunity for improvement throughout your business.
Summary
I remember when the US led the world in customer service and I'm encouraged by the actions of OLM and our cable company. One company went out of its way to help a customer and the other fixed their error and have said they will educate their people so they do better in the future.
Now it's time for a fat warm cookie.
What do you think?
Pool Version 2.0
© Abe WalkingBear Sanchez / Through the Loop Consulting Ltd 1998-2005