We can all remember times when we had fantastic customer service, and we probably remember even better the times that we had a horrific experience. While you may be in the pallet or lumber industries, everyone is really in the customer service business. And your customers are probably more demanding than ever before.
The cover story in this issue focuses on customer service as a key driver to the success of Harvey Pallets and HUB Industrial. Writing this story has reminded me of some of the best customer services experiences of my lifetime as well as some of the worst. This article covers my Hall of Fame and Hall of Shame when it comes to customer service. And it explores some of the key lessons that all companies should remember.
My top customer service moment came this past summer in Kenya when an artisan named Ben made a shield out of wood for me. I met him at an artist workshop where hundreds of men made big and small items out of wood. He customized the design for me in only a few days. It was better than I had ever anticipated. Ben even allowed me to sand a bit of it. And we kept in communication via text and cell phones. What made Ben stand out was his smile and willingness to customize a solution for me. I wanted something that was not a standard item.
The first lesson is to listen to the customer and see what really moves them. I was so excited about the shield that I took a picture of Ben and told him that I would put it in a magazine in America. That made his smile even bigger. Most of the typical trinkets that they made had no interest for me. In a store filled with thousands of items I was uninterested. But then I saw Ben working on a custom shield for another customer. I asked if he could make one for me with some minimal changes. And he agreed even though it would take him 2-3 days to finish.
Meeting the customers’ pain or pleasure point will make them pay for what you have to sell. For pallet and lumber industries this might involve vendor managed inventory, online ordering and tracking, heat treating, customized packaging design, specialized lumber dimensions, next day delivery, recycling services for non-wood products, warehousing, backhaul freight optimization or other services.
Recently, I had a fantastic dinner in Durham, North Carolina at the Angus Barn. The waiter’s name was Andre. And he was one of the best I have ever seen. He made me and a friend feel like the most important people in the restaurant. After finding out we were from out of town, he proceeded to give hints about things to do in the area, and he provided excellent knowledge of the menu and how to get the most out of our meal. Tonight, I had dinner with a good friend, and the waiter wasn’t even familiar with the main items on the menu. That was bad service. You need to know your capabilities and what you can deliver. Otherwise, you are like the server who didn’t even know the menu.
Another winner was Enterprise Rent a Car. This company stood out because after getting a car half full while in California on business the company adjusted the total bill when I forgot and brought back the car fully fueled. The agent was able to check and verify I had received it at half a tank. Like a robot, I filled it up completely and was mad at myself while in line waiting to return the car. She asked me how my reservation was, and I responded, “Fine.” I think she could tell by my tone that I wasn’t really happy. She asked, “Are you 100% satisfied with your experience?” And I said no. She listened to me explain the situation and offered to credit me $35 which should more than cover the cost of the fuel. Earlier in the year, Enterprise had bailed me out when another rental car company left me in a bad spot. The lady at the Enterprise counter said that she was not allowed to close the reservation unless I was 100% satisfied with the service. That really stood out to me. And I am sure that Enterprise is getting more than $35 worth of free goodwill with this “advertisement.”
What questions do you use to gauge customer satisfaction? If you don’t have a process to communicate and ensure that they are satisfied, how do you know that they are still a happy customer? One of the things that I always ask readers and advertisers is what can we do better to serve you? This has led to many good conversations and some improved business relationships.
Before we jump into the Hall of Shame, there are a few great customer service ideas from Micah Solomon, who wrote on Forbes.com. He wrote, “Obsess over the beginning and ending of the customer interaction. Because of how human memory works, you have to get these moments right if you want your customers to remember their time with you pleasantly.”
Solomon further suggested, “Don’t just be good—be memorably good. If you don’t create a memorable experience for your customers, your story won’t spread. Customer service is indeed the new marketing, or at least it is an incredibly powerful support that makes your marketing resonate by matching it with the truth of your business…So don’t only be nice; be nice in a memorable way. Extra nice, quickly nice, authentically nice, even quirkily nice… you get the idea.”
People like doing business with people that they like doing business with and this usually gets down to the friendliness of the employees and the ease of the customer experience. Don’t make ordering difficult, instead provide connections in ways that customers desire.
Some nightmare stories. I always start with Pitney Bowes – the definition of a monopoly that doesn’t care about its customers. I once laughed as my mother and other office workers verbally told a Pitney Bowes representative to leave and never come back. For years, the company had a monopoly thanks to the U.S. Postal Service. It kept on making changes to machines that made them slower, more technologically modern and more prone to break. Of course, they wanted more money for those extra bells and whistles that we never used. We wanted to keep our old machines and at a certain point they didn’t let us. For some reason the Postal Service decided with Pitney Bowes that the old machines were obsolete and no longer fit how they wanted to do business. The contracts with Pitney Bowes are ironclad and difficult to maneuver. I decided to never sign another one, and we now bought another postal machine brand that has worked wonders.
Recently, I was at Six Flags Great Adventure with my nephew. And I saw great customer service followed up by poor management. It began to rain like the Great Flood. We were in a part of the park with a few people. One guy walked over and asked a lone worker at a food stand for a trash bag. He gave it to the guy and a few others with him. And then they made a run for the exit.
A while later, a manager came by and scolded the employee for giving out trash bags. Evidently, they sell over-priced ponchos and that is what guests should have used. I am sure there was some concern about stealing trash bags or guest suffocating on them and suing. But what are people supposed to do, run 200 yards to buy a poncho. By the time they get there, they would be soaked. I walked over and told the teenager that he did the right thing by helping the customers. And then I proceeded to find a guest services representative and give him a piece of my mind. I was polite, but I explained the situation and told him why I thought the manager should have never said in public what he said.
If your systems keep employees from finding simple, cost-effective ways to help customers feel better about their experience then you are setting yourself up for epic customer service failure. What I saw at Six Flags was the exact opposite from my experience with Enterprise Rent a Car. How do you enable service, sales and operational employees to solve customer complaints and concerns? While those things may seem like annoyances, they are also your best feedback to know what the silent majority may be thinking.
My final customer service tip I got from Micah Solomon. He wrote in a separate article for Forbes.com and explained, “Language matters. It is extremely easy to say the right thing, but to say it wrong. Actively work on the language that is used in customer interactions.”
Does your language express engagement, concern and action or distance and annoyance? Do you clearly indicate that you understand the degree of the problem? Or are you just looking to answer with a canned response and make the issue go away? Remember those complaints and suggestions are great feedback that can make your company better if you look for the ways to make yourself indispensable for the customer.
