Customer Service Voodoo

Dear Readers -

I have moved to my new blog and website. Please come visit me at www.CustomerServiceVoodoo.com. I appreciate your continued participation.

Thanks for reading,

Brandon
www.customerservicevoodoo.com

99 Cent Customer Service

Can you really have great Customer Service at bargain prices? It seems that many people argue that Customer Service can only be had at top dollar prices. Their logic dictates that it costs more to provide good Customer Service and that you must pay a premium in order to have that service.

I beg to differ and offer this simple observation. Every time that I go to a thrift store or 99 cent store (where else do you think I get my inventory of eclectic T-Shirts?), I find that the people working there have been able to answer my questions quickly and efficiently. In addition, they have been very helpful and friendly when it comes time to check out, often engaging me in conversation while ringing up my purchases.

I can find no greater difference than the gap between Goodwill and Nordstrom, yet I find good service at both. Let's not pretend that I am shopping for the same items at each, however, the point remains that good Customer Service can be had at all levels. It just takes the right peple and support.

I'd love to hear your thoughts....

Thanks for reading,
Brandon

The New, Customer-Friendly DMV?

Sometimes, I feel sorry for the DMV. Not necessarily the people who work there, but rather, for the entity as a whole. It has such a bad reputation that just mentioning the initials brings shudders to many people.

So, when I got a notice in the mail letting me know that I had to go to the DMV to renew my driver's license, I was not happy. I immediately tried to renew it online, however, I had hit the lucky number of years that triggered a required in-person visit. Needless, to say, I was not a happy camper at this point.

I went online and tried to make an appointment, however, the closest appointment was several weeks away and so I resigned myself to having to go through the "DMV experience" and suffer with my neighbors and fellow citizens.

While I was online, I thought that I would at least check the hours that they were open and after I selected my local DMV office, I was presented with a web page that was very easy to navigate and very pleasing to the eye. Much to my surprise, right on the front page, there was a list of local DMV offices and the Wait Times for Walk In Appointments. Wow! This was great!

My local office had a short 19 minute wait and if I cared to drive to a town close by, I could walk in and wait only 5 minutes. And the best part was that when I drove down to the office, it was a short wait!

Kudos to the folks at the DMV who implemented this new site and linked up the wait times. I can't wait for my license to expire again. OK, just kidding, but it definitely made it easier.

Thanks for reading,
Brandon

The Sky is Not Falling - Stay Calm and Your Customers Will, Too

When it rains, it pours. At least in business, it does. Why does it seem that issues and complaints all ait for the perfect moment and then converge, without warning upon us?

Whether our "perfect storm" consists of two tour buses pulling into our resturant at the same time or a dozen 'returns' all showing up at once in our store, the key to weathering these occurences is a calm disposition and projecting that calmness to our customers.

No matter how bad the situation may get, the revenue for your business is right in front of you and a pleasant, business-like demeanor combined with a 'get the job done' attitude will get you through the quick (and brief) surge that occurs until things return to a calmer state.

So, the next time it seems as though there is just too much going on and you can't handle another issue, take a deep breath, pause for a second and place the moment in perspective. Each issue that you handle in a calm and positive manner fosters excellent customer service and brings in future revenue.

Thanks for reading,
Brandon

Customers Are People Too

Customers are people, just like us. This seems like a basic concept, but all too often, the more technical a job is, or the loftier a position in a company, the more this concept gets forgotten. Have you ever experienced a situation in which the person providing you with service seemed to talk down to you? Doubtless, you have, and yet this is a simple and basic concept.

We are in business only because of our customers. Take the one week challenge and the next time you catch yourself or someone in your company referring to a customer with anything less than a true customer focus, pause for a minute and recalibrate the conversation. Treat them as you would like to be treated and remember, Customers are people too!

Thanks for reading,

- Brandon

Smiles Alone Do Not Cut It

Customer service is more than just smiling. Yesterday, as I was driving home, my oil light came on in my car. It only came on for a second, maybe only a half second, but it was enough to put a shock into me. You see, my car is a 9 year old Toyota Corolla and has 170,000 miles on it. It is also paid off and we really want to keep
it going for quite a while so as to not have a car payment.

As I continued towards home, I realized that I had not changed the oil for at least six months, perhaps more. I was very concerned at that point and wen straight to a Jiffy Lube Oil Change place. You know the kind, it was 20 minutes or less.

As I pulled into the place, the first person to greet me said, "You know we close in 7 minutes". Yes, I replied, but I would like my oil changed. He guided me into the bay where the would take over and ushered me into the tiny waiting area.

As I watched them through the window, I saw that all six of the employees where literally attacking my car to get it done. At least one person was below the car in the pit, two were under the hood and several more buzzed about, checking air tire, vacuuming the inside and working together to get it done.

And they did. They got it done in only 11 minutes and I was paid and out the door. I interacted with four people in that shop. The first person asked me if I was there for the signature oil change and reminded me that they were closing in 7 minutes. I'm not sure why he reminded me of that, but it was not important and did not stop me
in mid-stride. Friendly-meter – 2 smiles out of 5.

The second person checked me in and brought up my car in the computer. He was concerned when I told him I was probably out of oil and was very quick, efficient and fairly friendly. Friendly-meter 3 smiles out of 5.

The third person who I interacted with was the man who I aid. He did not smile, he could not have noticed if I was an alien with 4 tentacles and never looked at me. Friendly-meter 0 smiles out of 5.

The last person was the guy who drove my car out of the bay and gave it to me. He was very happy and smiling, right down to his pierced chin. Friendly-meter 5 smiles out of 5.

So, overall, their Friendly-meter was only 2.5 smiles out of 5. Yet, I will go back there. Why? Because they got the job done quickly and professionally, and treated me with respect. Remember, customer service is more than just smiling.

Thanks for reading,

Brandon

Self Service - Is it really providing Customer Service?

A few months back, I read an article by Heather Armstrong on her blog Dooce. She relates her experience at the grocery store when she was forced into using teh self service checkout. She wrote:

"And when (we) walk to the front of the store we find that they have only one regular checkout open in an attempt to force almost everyone into two 12-person lines for the self-checkout machines. This is what Jon refers to as Outsourced Caring™, when a company cannot be bothered anymore with basic service and hires someone else to do the caring for them. It's why you're always getting transferred to someone else when you call customer service, because the person who answered the phone doesn't get paid to care."

It was a hot topic as she had over 500 comments and people chimed in with comments such as:

- "Those machines are surely the work of the devil"
- "The self-checkout machines never fail to piss me off every single time I use them"

And this is one of my personal favorites...

- "i hate those freakin' self check out machines. if i get to the front of the store and the only have those and a long line for the ONE actual person manned check out, i will leave my cart in the line and just leave. i will go out of my way to go to some other store that has humans doing the check out and force THEM to care."

Which now brings me to the point. At what point does self service become a dis-service? Your thoughts are welcomed, I don;t think this topic is quite exhausted.

Heather's full article is here.