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I had my house painted last week. Part of the process required renting a paint sprayer to speed doing the bulk of the work. This seemingly simple task became an adventure that revealed both the best and the worst in customer service.
Marshall Kentish (painter extraordinaire) and I reserved a sprayer from a paint store in town. Upon arriving to pick it up, we learned that it had accidentally been rented to someone else. The gentleman at the store was very apologetic and offered to let us rent the sprayer for free as soon as it became available. Try as I might, I could not fault them. Yes, they made a mistake, but everyone makes mistakes. They owned up to it by making a very gracious offer. The timing didnt work out for this project, but I will gladly do business with them again and refer others to them.
Marshall and I next stopped at an equipment rental shop on Highway 66 right near the airport and picked up a sprayer. We lugged it home, got everything prepared, and fired it up only to discover that the machine was completely unserviceable. Ninety minutes after picking it up, we had the sprayer back at the shop after breaking it down, cleaning it, loading it, and driving back. The man behind the counter refunded only $18 of the $60 rental fee claiming that we had failed to return within 30 minutes (a physical impossibility) and that two people with a combined total of 35 years of painting experience didnt know how to operate the sprayer. He didnt even offer to show us how to adjust the machine. I asked to speak to the owner. Refused. Worse, this mans tone and attitude were condescending and insulting from start to end. I will never do business at that establishment again and urge anyone needing any kind of equipment to avoid heading out Highway 66 towards the airport at all cost.
We finally arrived at Ashland Rental on Highway 99 in Talent. The store manager, Jim, was both friendly and knowledgeable- a true professional. He showed us his stock and let us test the machine before even loading it up. It worked perfectly and my house has never looked better.
The bottom line is very simple. Your customers are your lifeblood. You need them far more than they need you. There are lots of places to rent paint sprayers, buy food, etc. and most people only need one of anything at any particular time. In my case, I probably wont need a paint sprayer for several years at least. Your average happy customer will tell three people about the wonderful experience they had at your business while the average unhappy customer will tell twenty.
Excellent customer service is one of the most potent forms of free or low-cost marketing there is since happy customers will be your loudest evangelists. Poor customer service is one of the fastest ways to destroy your business, taking your entire investment and possibly even your credit rating, house, etc. with it.
Believe it or not, complaints can actually lead to more business. Customers who experience satisfactory complaint resolution can actually be happier with a business than those who have never had a complaint. How is that possible, you ask? Complaint handling requires an investment of individualized time and attention- always a flattering experience on some level despite any frustration there might be. Besides, to err is human and everyone knows that. Think of the people who have wronged you and youll realize that its danged difficult to hold a grudge when the offending party freely offers to make things right. Their efforts show their good character and require no small amount of respect and admiration that might not have existed otherwise.
Dont get me wrong. I am not saying you should cook up excuses to make things right with your customers. I am saying that complaints can be your ticket to increased goodwill and profits or quite the opposite. Its up to you.
What is the secret to excellent customer service? Simple: Treat your customers how you would like to be treated in all situations. The moment you feel tempted to fire off a sharp reply to a request or a complaint, stop and ask yourself how you would want the situation resolved if the situation was reversed.
Applying the Golden Rule will yield more gold for you.
Marshall Kentish (painter extraordinaire) and I reserved a sprayer from a paint store in town. Upon arriving to pick it up, we learned that it had accidentally been rented to someone else. The gentleman at the store was very apologetic and offered to let us rent the sprayer for free as soon as it became available. Try as I might, I could not fault them. Yes, they made a mistake, but everyone makes mistakes. They owned up to it by making a very gracious offer. The timing didnt work out for this project, but I will gladly do business with them again and refer others to them.
Marshall and I next stopped at an equipment rental shop on Highway 66 right near the airport and picked up a sprayer. We lugged it home, got everything prepared, and fired it up only to discover that the machine was completely unserviceable. Ninety minutes after picking it up, we had the sprayer back at the shop after breaking it down, cleaning it, loading it, and driving back. The man behind the counter refunded only $18 of the $60 rental fee claiming that we had failed to return within 30 minutes (a physical impossibility) and that two people with a combined total of 35 years of painting experience didnt know how to operate the sprayer. He didnt even offer to show us how to adjust the machine. I asked to speak to the owner. Refused. Worse, this mans tone and attitude were condescending and insulting from start to end. I will never do business at that establishment again and urge anyone needing any kind of equipment to avoid heading out Highway 66 towards the airport at all cost.
We finally arrived at Ashland Rental on Highway 99 in Talent. The store manager, Jim, was both friendly and knowledgeable- a true professional. He showed us his stock and let us test the machine before even loading it up. It worked perfectly and my house has never looked better.
The bottom line is very simple. Your customers are your lifeblood. You need them far more than they need you. There are lots of places to rent paint sprayers, buy food, etc. and most people only need one of anything at any particular time. In my case, I probably wont need a paint sprayer for several years at least. Your average happy customer will tell three people about the wonderful experience they had at your business while the average unhappy customer will tell twenty.
Excellent customer service is one of the most potent forms of free or low-cost marketing there is since happy customers will be your loudest evangelists. Poor customer service is one of the fastest ways to destroy your business, taking your entire investment and possibly even your credit rating, house, etc. with it.
Believe it or not, complaints can actually lead to more business. Customers who experience satisfactory complaint resolution can actually be happier with a business than those who have never had a complaint. How is that possible, you ask? Complaint handling requires an investment of individualized time and attention- always a flattering experience on some level despite any frustration there might be. Besides, to err is human and everyone knows that. Think of the people who have wronged you and youll realize that its danged difficult to hold a grudge when the offending party freely offers to make things right. Their efforts show their good character and require no small amount of respect and admiration that might not have existed otherwise.
Dont get me wrong. I am not saying you should cook up excuses to make things right with your customers. I am saying that complaints can be your ticket to increased goodwill and profits or quite the opposite. Its up to you.
What is the secret to excellent customer service? Simple: Treat your customers how you would like to be treated in all situations. The moment you feel tempted to fire off a sharp reply to a request or a complaint, stop and ask yourself how you would want the situation resolved if the situation was reversed.
Applying the Golden Rule will yield more gold for you.