I previously wrote about Bad Customer Service and its impact on customers. I had an experience this week that really drove home how your employees can lose you a customer in 10 minutes or less.
Category: Customer Service
Maybe I was just cranky or maybe I just ran into a series of bad customer service situations in the last 24 hours.
New Brakes or Broke
I need new brakes for my car. They are kind of pricey, easily running over $500. I called around to some dealers looking at prices for a competitive price to either use or negotiate with my dealer. Here are a few of my conversations:
The US economy has continued moving away from manufacturing and towards services. Certain services and manufacturing can be outsourced and off-shored but not all of them. Let’s take a look at a scenario.
New Microwave – That Is Easy
I recently purchased a microwave oven to replace a broken built-in one. I did not own the home when the prior microwave, face kit and special air-circulating base were installed. I knew I was limited by the dimensions of the box where the microwave was built-in
I searched online at the General Electric Appliances site for a microwave that had the correct dimensions. The name of the series for my microwave had changed so I could not find it that way. I spent significant time trying to discern what was the correct size and model for my needs.
General Motors recently ran a series of ads about the quality of their cars. The gist of the message was about being a “world class” company. The proof of their “world class” status was a 60-day money back guarantee on new car purchases. The commercial got me thinking about what techniques companies use to prove their worthiness to customers and potential customers.
Often, we are deluged with junk mail. Recently, my credit card company decided to increase the value of my credit card statements by making them easier to read. My Clarity Commitment TM Credit Card, “Is intended to provide you with a clear and straightforward description of your Bank of America credit card rates and fees.”
Clearer Offer
The clearer documents were certainly in plainer English than traditional credit card communications. Why was the credit card company offering to help me? The answer — only because the US Congress passed a law called Credit Card Accountability Responsibility and Disclosure (CARD) Act. The law required them to be clearer so they touted their new clarity.