Today seems like a day when service, truly good or fantastic customer service, is on my mind. Why? First, I was going through Facebook to find a friend of a friend commenting on the “service” – and in this case, it was lack thereof – her daughter had received at a college. Second, today is the launch of Tony Hsieh’s Delivering Happiness. You can read my initial review of Delivering Happiness here.
So back to my first brush with customer service this fine Monday morning. I was annoyed as I had had similar experiences. A friend’s daughter was on campus of a small college. The reason for the visit was a competition that basically says these kids are smart. The daughter wanted to go on a tour and was told “not after 4 pm.” When information was requested, the group of four high school students got one packet. Did the admissions person think they were a family? I doubt it. I have had similar experiences with college admission staffs. It seems that they feel they get enough applications that they can set rules – all very arbitrary but to their benefit – and never budge.
While the number of applicants may be more than can be accepted, no college knows who they are missing out on by not bending a bit. Customer service that bends, not breaks, with a bit of creativity ends in a win-win for both the consumer – in this case, the potential student – and the organization.
My second brush with customer service was while watching Tony Hsieh on Fox and Friends this morning. I have to be upfront. Fox is not a channel that gets turned on very frequently in my house. I wanted to hear this interview. I wanted to see what those on the Fox morning show would ask. And, other than some poker analogies, I came away – and maybe that is due to this being in my mind anyway – with thoughts on customer service.
When I first read and reviewed Delivering Happiness, I was taken in by the idea that a corporate culture and core values statements would turn around business as we know it and many of us have studied it. Now, I am taken by what those two things have done to the customer service that is associated with Zappos.com.
One story that just resonated with me from Delivering Happiness was off a group of Hsieh’s friends who were in Santa Monica. They had been out and at 3 am returned to their hotel and one of the group wanted pizza. No room service available at that hour so Hsieh suggested the friend call the Zappos toll-free number. The call center representative found a pizza place that was open at that hour in Santa Monica. The reps at this same call center are encouraged to check competitor’s web sites if an item is out of stock at Zappos. This is the kind of customer service I want and, on those days when nothing else is going right, I need.
So I am thinking about where the customer service has gone. Imagine – when you have a bill due and you call the company, the service representative says “no need to get an extension, due date is still three days away.” You quickly explain your pay check will not hit your account until three days after that to which the company says, “until you are at the due date, we can do nothing.” When, three days later, you call back, the company says “today’s the date and we can do nothing.”
I am thinking about good customer service – the kind that makes you a customer for life of a company – and bad customer service – the kind that makes you want to put a company out of business.
What experiences have you had with customer service lately?
Nicki's Nook 
Ugh. I feel like we’ve gotten so used to bad customer service that it’s a genuine surprise when I find a competent, professional, friendly person who takes care of my problem right away. I guess this is why companies with exceptional customer service can charge a premium.
And I don’t mean that I don’t respect anyone who works in customer service. It has to be one of the most difficult jobs – and some customers are just impossible to deal with.
Maybe what I’m saying is: everyone should try to be just a little bit nicer to one another!
I don’t know that we, as consumers, have gotten use to bad service but it does seem to be almost everywhere.
So funny that you mention Zappos. I ordered two pairs of shoes from them yesterday. I selected the free ground shipping option and submitted my order. When I logged back in this morning to check the status of my order I was delighted (though not surprised) to learn that they had upgraded me to overnight shipping at no charge. My shoes will be here tomorrow! Zappos does this kind of thing all the time and I’m intensely loyal to them for it. (Also, did you know that at their toll-free number they record a “joke of the day” every day?)
I love the loyalty upgrade!
I judge so many places by customer service. I would definitely judge a college that way. Having been on MANY college tours the last several years, we’ve never been treated like that. Even at very elite schools they act like they’re trying to woo you, and that’s how it should be. I’d need a very compelling reason to want my kid to go to that school after that experience…
I cannot believe the way some colleges act. It is almost like they don’t want you to apply. I have probably been on 60 college visits – actually probably more than that – since 2002 when my oldest started looking. Some woo, some ignore.
I leave the customer service stuff to my husband. That’s not bad, is it?
Sounds like a plan to me, Amber! 🙂
Customer service is shamefully rotten nowadays–I am going to say that the WORST customer service I’ve encountered is with GE. Horrendous.
Nordstrom used to have impeccable customer service, and even they’re slacking a little now. Sigh.
I do not know a place where I have gotten impeccable service recently.
My worst ever customer service experience was with a phone company called Nextel. Not sure they still exist. I swear I was on the phone with them for four hours. Awful.
These days, I don’t do much online shopping but have heard lots of wonderful things about Zappos.
I have to say most if not all my live transactions of late have been pleasant.
Belinda – I can top four hours. I spent seven hours on the phone with Dell to get my daughter’s hard drive replaced while it was still well under the warranty period.
Interesting post. I’ve had my fair share of good and bad. But today I was privvy to a paricularly good piece of service. I had to call my cell company to add on a temporaty long distance plan for a trip I’m taking. I told him I would only need it for a month, and assumed I would have to remember to call and cancel. But guess what?! He offered to set it up to expire for me, all on it’s own without a call back. How great is that!
Fantastic! I do say that I like to let others know when I get good service. I bought a 3-pack of Ortega Taco Seasoning packets. When I got home, there were only 2 in the package. Good thing I only needed 2 for dinner that night. I sent a message to them and received coupons in the mail.