Mitch’s Blog

I was out of town last week at a convention in another city, a large city.  I stayed at a five-star hotel, and the convention was at a different five-star hotel.

I spent more time at the hotel where the convention was than my own hotel.  Talk about luxurious.  This was the first time I ever saw a hotel that actually had their own water slide with their pool.  They had multiple people to cater to your every need, including parking, carrying bags, etc.  The facilities were immaculate and spacious, and anything you asked for you immediately received, no questions asked.

I only had one problem with the hotel; that was the prices.  For instance, they charged $5 for a can of soda, and $3.75 for a glass of soda.  I don’t drink, and it was a good thing because a bottle of beer was $8.  I ordered a chicken salad sandwich, one that was pre-packaged, and it cost me $11.  One didn’t have to worry about tipping the baggage guys or the guys parking your cars because they added that charge onto your bill, charging $12 daily for those services, whether you used them or not.  Of course, my hotel wasn’t perfect in that regard, because they charged $15 a day to use the workout room or the pool, which I didn’t pay for, but I still had to pay $10 a day for internet service.

We all want great customer service, and both hotels were at the top of their game.  But is there a reasonable point at which the prices being charged for certain items actually ends up losing you business?  Is there a point at which the concept of selling less at more money is overcome by the prospect of selling more at a lower amount and making more money?  How many $5 cans of soda do you think the hotel sold once those people who had rental cars realized there was a gas station about a mile up the road?  How many bottles of beer weren’t sold for the same reason?

There is no chance of over valuing ones product when it comes to customer service.  However, there is over valuing ones customer service at the expense of the customer themselves.

I spent an overnight trip at my mother’s house to finally load all the software she needed in her new laptop, which I talked about a couple of weeeks ago. It’s hard to imagine for most, but it takes a lot of time to load software if you’re loading multiple things.

One of the things I loaded was new software to go with her new Palm. My mother used to be one of those people always on the cutting edge of technology, if it was something she wanted. Back in 2000, she bought her first Palm, and made sure she bought the top of the line version. Up until two weeks ago, it was the only Palm she’d ever had. But it had taken a beating over the years, because the design back then wasn’t really meant for all the things women throw in their purses without thinking about it.

Anyway, I loaded the new software, after first moving over all the data files from her old hard drive. This way, supposedly, when I synched the Palm the first time, it would not only load the new software, but it would search for preexisting data files and move everything over.

For the most part, things worked as they should have. But not perfectly. For some reason, the sync didn’t pull over every contact she had in her address database. Also, the new software didn’t pull over some other things she had on her old Palm, because they had changed how that information flowed, and suddenly it was incompatible with the new Palm. It did pull over a few things I wouldn’t have thought it would, so I guess there’s a trade off.

The question of customer satisfaction has to be something taken into account whenever anyone makes an improvement in something, whether it’s a procedure or a product. Consideration must be made as to not only whether something that’s changed was needed in the first place, or if someone might actually miss it because it was something that was important to them.

Or, do we deserve to have it in the first place? I know that each upgrade of Microsoft’s operating system adds some things, and takes things away. Each version of their Office program adds something and takes something else away. Personally, right now I’m not as enthusiastic about Windows Media Player 11 as I was the first time I loaded Media Player 10, for this very reason. I bemoaned losing what I had, but I embraced the new things and got used to them.

I guess it all depends on the money, and whether the maker or supplier of the new products or services will actually listen to their customer or employee and their impressions of the change, or whether they don’t feel it’s necessary enough to worry about. Just makes me wonder how many customers decide, because something they liked wasn’t the same anymore, whether it was time to look at someone else who makes something similar. Has to, since I’ve done that from time to time.

And, a lost customer rarely comes back.

You know, the toughest thing about working for yourself is, if you’re not getting a referral, you have to reach out to people and companies to see if they can use your services.

I’ll admit it; I absolutely hate this part of the business. I’m not very good at it because I’m often forgetting what’s supposed to be the prime rule; it’s not personal.

Course, it’s hard not to take it personally when you get comments like this: “Why do you people persist in calling us, because we’re never going to need your services.” The truth is of course they’re going to need our services; they just might not need them now, or they might go with someone else other than me. That’s kind of the thing about advertising, isn’t it, to make sure people who need services you provide will at least remember your name so they’ll give you a chance at getting the business?

I expect people to react badly if you call them at home, which of course I’d never do for my business. However, even then, some people do have to call homes, especially insurance salespeople, often because they’ve been given a referral from someone, and, unfortunately, the person being called is often the last one to know their name has been given out.

But when it comes to businesses, there are very few who are insulated enough so that they never have to pick up the phone, or have someone else pick up the phone, or send a letter or an email and contact other businesses in some way at some time in order to try to get business, or at least get known.

And if most business people remembered this rule, at least business might move along easier, and there would be fewer times when people would take it personal.

Yesterday I went with my mother to buy her a new laptop and a Palm pilot.

We went to the first store because she had $250 worth of coupons that would go towards her purchase. We looked at the laptops, and early on the choice came down to two that were fairly similar. Then I noticed a box and asked about that brand of laptop, which I have, and the guy takes us to another area and shows us those; why didn’t he show these earlier? I find the one I think is best and ask about it, and he tells me that one is discontinued, and they don’t have any of them available; why are they showing it then? He then decides to show me one that’s not on display, that’s suposedly taking its place, and the cost is almost $500 more than the one I’d wanted her to have.

So, we’re back to selecting between the two original ones, and we finally pick one. Then we go to look at the Palms, and this time I had one in mind that I wanted to see first, which is the same kind I bought my wife last year. Only, they’ve changed the look and capability of it, so now it’s not the same anymore. We look at the other palms, and Mom decides on which one she wants. You guessed it; that one has been discontinued, but of course it’s being displayed. Another one that was being displayed, they’d run out of; I couldn’t believe this.

We bought the items we wanted, but Mom said she wanted to go to an office supply store across the street to see if they might have the Palm she wanted. They had one on display, so we asked about it, and they said they didn’t have any; what the hey? Mom decided to go back to the first store and buy a Palm that wasn’t her favorite, that both stores had, but the other store not only had it for $10 less, but, of all the weird things, was in a different county, though only across the street from each other, so the taxes were lower.

This is a different customer service than I usually write about, because this time, the people helping out were fine and courteous. The stores, though, dropped the ball. Had it been me, I wouldn’t have made the purchase on that day, and probably gone looking for a different place that had just what I wanted. But Mom wanted something that day, so, there you go.

How often do companies take chances with losing customers when they promise something they can’t deliver on? And should someone in each store have known that they didn’t have what they were displaying before disappointing a very willing customer? Just asking questions on a Sunday afternoon.

I came across an online entry titled Another Support Call Nightmare. In this case, the writer is talking about a bad experience he had in trying to talk to customer service people for a particular bank, and how bad he felt it was overall.

What I found most interesting wasn’t the story so much, but the comments to what he wrote. He got a lot of them, but many of them didn’t support him at all. One person even wrote that his expectations of what customer service should be aren’t valid, and that he should lower his expectations of getting help from others.

How did we get to this point where we will accept less than courtesy and accuracy from someone being paid to resolve our issues? Aren’t we worth at least getting true information when we speak to someone online, as opposed to them not only reading a script, but saying something that would be obvious to anyone that it’s untrue?

If you can, read the article and give your thoughts either there or here. There’s a revolution coming, and it wants to be treated with respect.

There’s a restaurant I go to that’s probably, at present, my favorite restaurant locally. It’s called Julie’s Diner, in North Syracuse, and they only serve breakfast and lunch. I try to go at least twice a month for breakfast, and, since I’ve been going a long time, they know my face fairly well there.

Almost every single time I’ve gone there, I’ve had a positive experience. They have a greeter whom I’ve come to like very much, and all the waitstaff has been very kind and open and friendly. All except one, that is. She’s the oldest one there, and probably feels like a job is a job, and nothing else needs to occur because, after all, it’s work. This one time, she actually insulted a friend of mine and myself by her attitude, and I was glad it was his turn to pay because he didn’t leave her a tip at all, whereas I always feel compelled to leave something, even with bad service.

However, unlike some other times when I might decide to take my money elsewhere, because I’d built up a rapport with everyone else at this restaurant I decided that I was going to continue going. Instead, I’ve asked not to have this particular woman serve my food anymore. This is kind of a unique perspective on customer service. I tend to tip well (I’ll tip 50% at times at this place) when I like the service I’ve received, and everyone else seems to understand that. I know waitstaff doesn’t get paid well, so I always feel it’s important to help out when I can. Because the rest of the staff at this restaurant has treated me with nothing but courtesy and respect, I’ve found a way around the one person who could turn my overall good experience bad.

They’re lucky. How lucky are the rest of us when someone under us gives bad customer service? How many second chances do you think we’d get? Something else to think about.

(originally posted April 20th, 2006)

I have a friend, Kim, who owns a gift basket company. Not only are her products great, but she’s got customer service down to a science. I have ordered three times from her, and it never ceases to amaze me just how customer friendly her service is.

As a for instance, the last time I ordered something for my wife off her online website, I got an immediate response detailing my order after I actually put it through. Maybe 15 minutes later, I received a follow up thank you message from her website. The next day, I received another email later in the day, telling me that my package had been delivered. A few days later, in the mail, I got a copy of the written cash register receipt, along with a letter thanking me for the purchase, and of course a flyer highlighting specials she would be offering for upcoming holidays. A week after my order, I received another email, this time personal, asking me how my wife had enjoyed the gift basket I had purchased for her.

Man, talk about feeling special. Why wouldn’t I think of her first the next time I wanted to get a special purchase for my wife? I could sit here and think that the last email I received was because she was a friend of mine, but knowing her, I bet she sends emails like that to all of her customers, because she never goes halfway on anything.

It doesn’t seem all that often that you read about very good customer service stories. I’m glad to have the opportunity to pass one along. I also hope that I can step in her shoes when it comes to offering good customer service to my clients.

(originally published July 2nd, 2005)

Yesterday I had to stop by UPS on the way home to pick up a package that they had tried to deliver a couple of days in a row. I was out of town, and my wife was at work, so she called and told them I would be coming. I get there early enough, and proceed to wait 50 minutes to get my package. Actually, that’s somewhat of a misnomer, because I had to wait 15 minutes while they looked for the package for the woman in front of me, who it turned out I knew, then I had to wait another 35 minutes for them to find mine.

One gets to see and hear a lot if one is so inclined to do it. The woman behind me was extolling the virtues of UPS, having never lost a package she’s sent out in over 20 years. Unfortunately for them, that was the only positive comment on this day. One guy was upset because he had called and asked them to hold a package so he could pick it up, and of course they didn’t; he was yelling “Federal Express” as he left. Another was upset because a package that had been delivered to him had a big sign on his door asking whoever delivered it to leave it next door, but they didn’t do it even though it didn’t need a signature. Another complained that he should be able to talk to someone about a particular type of complaint, but was told that he would be contacted by someone next week; of course, Monday is a holiday. Another complained because she didn’t understand the machines that let one fill everything out on the computer and ship out on their own. One other person complained because he felt there should be more people on staff, blaming it on “people trying to get away for the long weekend.” All were very vocal.

I, on the other hand, was upset, but calm. I never raised my voice; I didn’t use any sarcasm towards the people working there, though I did say to someone else that they seemed to be losing packages that day. When the woman finally found my package, I was just sitting quietly in a chair, thankful for the cool air because it was really muggy outside. I got up, walked up and showed my ID for the package, and the woman thanked me for my understanding and calm.

See, my thought on such things is that yes, there was a major customer service gaff, but it wasn’t the woman’s fault looking for my package. I figured that my yelling wasn’t going to make anyone work better, or find my package quicker. Yes, I was troubled, but they were trying, so I held my tongue.

There’s customer service that we expect when we go somewhere for services. There’s another customer service which needs to be applied to customers; take your anger out on the right people, at the right time. Everyone else; just be cool.

(originally published September 2nd, 2005)

Last night I went with a few people to one of the big, famously named department stores, one of those where you’re surprised they don’t charge you to walk through the doors. Suddenly, I’m surrounded by suits that are around $1,500, watches as high as $4,000, sweaters starting at $400, even sunglasses around $200; I definitely felt like I was out of my league.

However, I found something I could identify with, that was well within my price range, that I knew I’d enjoy. I asked someone where I could pay for it, and was directed to a cash register. The woman there was on the phone, and it was plainly obvious that it was a personal call. She continued talking to her friend on the phone as she was ringing me up; I meant nothing to her at that moment, even though she was at work at this expensive and exclusive store. After I got my purchase, I looked at the receipt and saw that I’d been overcharged for the item, as it had a big sticker on it saying how much it cost. It wasn’t exorbitant, but that wasn’t the point. I went back to her and pointed it out, and she said that I would have to go downstairs to customer service, because she couldn’t take care of it.

Downstairs I went to customer service, where I presented my issue. This person went on a rant, not at me but at the incompetence of people at the store in general, saying I shouldn’t have been sent downstairs because it wasn’t her responsibility, and that the people upstairs should have known that. I just looked at her, then said “They sent me to you”; I wasn’t going back upstairs, where that person was still on the phone. She continued to rant to her co-workers and anyone else she could find, all the while leaving me standing there just wanting her to take care of it. There were two green chairs in the waiting area, and I went to one of them, sat down, and closed my eyes, while she was calling around, trying to figure out what to do.

Eventually, she came from behind the counter, told me she’d be back, and went off on a walkabout, trying to find someone to help her. Eventually she came back to the area, though not back to her desk, and found someone who began to help her. I then heard this woman say “This is only for 50 cents; who’d bring something back for 50 cents”, to which the other woman replied “The customer is sitting right there.” I never opened my eyes, though I should have.

Eventually it got taken care of, and I got credited the overage, plus the tax. But the dye was cast; I was irritated, and felt like I wasn’t wanted, that I didn’t belong. After all, I guess they cater to a more exclusive type of client, one who doesn’t mind paying way too much for normal things and wouldn’t care if the person who took their money gave them the time of day because, after all, it’s Gucci.

It would seem that good customer service doesn’t have a price tag on it, but it took me going to a place like this to learn that. Obviously, a place like this is trading on its name; it certainly hasn’t learned the lessons of Walmart on how to treat customers, no matter how much they’re willing to pay. Not everyone can afford the luxury of treating their clients with disrespect; how’s your business doing?

(originally published August 3rd, 2005)

Last Friday night, my wife and I went to dinner with a good friend of mine from college. The waitress we had on this night was outstanding. Every time someone’s glass was close to empty, there was suddenly a full glass whatever sitting right next to it. He seemed to be reading our minds throughout the night, bringing more bread, butter, knowing when we wanted something extra, or knowing when you might need her for anything. At the end of our meal, I picked up the check saw with the amount was, and gave her a $20 tip; don’t tell my wife. She was surprised, and I told her that she was one of the best waitresses I had ever had.

Sometimes it’s hard for us to define just what it is we believe good customer service is. In a sense, good customer service is being willing to go that extra step, that extra mile, in hopes of earning a $20 tip, so to speak. That $20 may manifest itself in many different ways, such as praise, repeat business, promotions, a raise, or many other things. Nobody he is anyone anything for free; in some way, we all earn whatever it is that we get.

So, when was the last time you or your company earned a $20 tip?