My Journal #2

Good/bad Customer Service

Prompt: Whats the most dreadful, or wonderful, experience youve ever had as a customer? How could it have been better or worse?

Customer Service is a misnomer. It's true you and I are the customers, but some companies have no clue or don't care about the service part. They have a duty and do only what they have to get buy or get a paycheck.

I've had too many good and bad experiences with customer service. I'm going to post what happened to my daughter last weekend.
Through a lack of thought and too much trust, she left her wallet in her purse while she went to the dining car or where ever to get coffee. While she was gone someone stole her wallet.

That is the set up. Let's jump back in time a little to her new job. For the past eight months or so she has been and executive assistant to her company's Customer Service Department. Part of her job is buy give cards and such to reward the CS employees who receive commendations from their clients. She works closely with her US Bank Person, let's call her Beth.

When Lani called the bank's lost/stolen dept. The person on the other end was not at all helpful in spite of the fact the CS was outsourced to a different country and the person couldn't understand English let along speak it correctly.  After hours of phone calls and frustration some of it was resolved. 
Lani had to go to her US bank to withdrawn money until she could get her new debit card. She spoke to her "person" Beth about what happened.

"If it wasn't for you, and the other people here at this bank, I would have closed my account and went elsewhere."
"Really? It was that bad?"
"Yes, I wanted to close my account and walk away, but you have been so good to me and helped me with other things I couldn't do that. I deal more with you than those CS people."
"You know Lani, I mentioned you at our last CS meeting. I told them you called me "your person" like famous people have."
"I do. When I tell people I have a "person" at the bank they just look at me funny. When someone asks me to do something and I tell them I have people who are experts at that they have confidence in me. I then have confidence in "my people."
Beth told Lani, "We have another meeting next week. Do you mind if I tell them this story?"
"No, go ahead. If it means this branch gets awards for good customer service I'm all for it."

I worked for a company for almost ten years. I was in "customer service" because there was no area for what I did.  Let's just say it was my job to help Reps and Distributors make money for themselves and their company. I was their file drawer and IT for the company. If they had no idea where to go, call or had a question they couldn't get answered, they called me.  I found the answer then we both knew it for the next person that asked. 

In turn those men and women showed their appreciation with letters, gifts  for me and words of praise to the owner of the company.  I can still remember most of the product numbers and what they are and its been ten plus years since I worked there. Some of those people are still in contact with me as we made friends outside the workplace. To me that's what Customer Service is. Go beyond what is required to make that customer satisfied. Sometimes the expectation is beyond what you can do. Be sympathetic, when you have exhausted your resources, apologize  and say, "Can I have to you talk to my supervisor?"
All I want is compassion for the situation whether its my fault or theirs.