Good customer service is half the battle to building a successful business. It’s an obvious point, but one that can’t be repeated too often. Until we no longer encounter or hear others relate poor service stories, it’s time well spent to reinforce the importance of customer care.
I have three recent personal anecdotes of customer service worth retelling. One is a poor example that’s had me ranting to anyone willing to listen and two positive experiences that have had me raving about the companies.
First, I called my local junkyard (or auto parts recycler, to be politically correct) looking for a replacement part for my car. The owner has a reputation for being so unpleasant that my mechanic has encouraged me to deal with the guy directly rather than calling himself to track down a part. Every time I’ve called this fella, he’s been uncommunicative … no, downright rude, acting exasperated and annoyed to punch in the part name in his computer system.
If this junkman didn’t have a parts car identical to mine, I’d never dial his number. His disdain for customers leaves me wondering how he stays in business. He is such a sourpuss I have a tough time calling any other business for a week, fearing the same kind of treatment.
On the other hand, there’s the shop owner where I bought a new bike a year ago. The shop is inconveniently located and he doesn’t have the lowest prices. But his friendly and competent service makes it worth the trip and higher prices.
Just the other day, I needed an adjustment to eliminate a squeak in my bike. I called the shop and the owner answered the phone. Right away, he said he would fix the bike, and at no charge. He said I could leave the bike for a few hours and the work would be done. When I showed up, he dropped everything else and tended to the bike while I waited, explaining what he was doing so I could address the problem myself in the future if I wanted to.
In 15 minutes I was rolling out the door. In this case, he made me happy by under-promising and over-delivering, making sure he could deliver the service in an afternoon, then performing the task in minutes.
My other good-service story came at the dentist’s office, of all places. And this is the only time I’ve ever left a dental or medical office thinking I got a bargain.
I recently chipped a good-sized crater out of a front tooth. When I called the dentist’s office, the receptionist said they immediately would fit me into a busy day. About 30 minutes after sitting in the chair, I walked away with my tooth expertly filled in like you’d use Bondo to repair the fender of a damaged car.
The dentist even felt my pain in the pocketbook. “As long as you don’t feel a lot of pain, let’s save you a little money and we won’t give you a shot to freeze your mouth,’’ he said. I felt no pain during the procedure, or when paying the $150 bill, for that matter.
The difference in attitude between the junkyard owner and my bike shop owner and dentist was striking. The good service secured my loyalty for years to come. And I will be happy to never again visit that boneyard.
The message translates to each of us in our own daily business dealings: We can simply blindly follow the dollar signs alone or we can work on making customers for life. Providing good customer service is a choice we can all make.
