Tag: Customer Service

  • Customer Service Matters

    When it comes to customer service, it matters. It is one of those things that I have always been quick to notice… and lately I’ve come across some amazing examples of it.

    In the past 30 days I’ve received remarkable, incredible, stellar…. unbelievable service from several companies I have new relationships with. Stunning!

    Observation: Start-ups have better customer service because they have to. They see the connection between a happy customer and their bottom line. They know that a happy customer will tell their friends about a fantastic experience. Conversely, they know that a bad customer experience will spread like wildfire. Incredible customer service is a cheap marketing strategy!

    But start-ups aren’t the only ones with great customer service. That’s what makes AT&T and Apple such a crazy combination for the iPhone! AT&T has has had horrible customer service for decades and they are so big they don’t care one ounce. They know for every 10 customers they lose to bad customer service there are 10 more who will create a new account. And Apple has created a culture of stellar customer service to the point where people will spend an extra 1000 for a laptop just because they know if they ever have a problem they can take it back to the store.

    Southwest Airlines is another long-standing company with stellar customer service. I’ve purchased tickets with them before, not read the rules, and had to call to ask a refund… even though I didn’t deserve one. Not only have they given it to me, they’ve always done it happily even though it was my mistake!

    Why does stellar customer service matter? In today’s marketplace a purchase is all about the experience. If you go the extra mile your customers will love you forever. They will wear your t-shirts and brag to their friends that they are your client.

    Customer experience is the next great wave of marketing.

  • Maintaining Stellar Customer Service

    In the last 30 days I lead a big change in how we send emails at work. We ditched our old email delivery service for MailChimp. One small part of the decision was that MailChimp offered a better price. That was important– but the selling point for me was stellar customer service.

    There have been a couple of times recently when they lived up to that expectation. Last week I was trying to do something and couldn’t figure out how to make it work. So I dialed up their live chat and explained what I needed. The person told me that their system couldn’t do what I needed it to do, but it should. So, while I waited, they created a solution for me. Yeah, that’s unheard of!

    So I wasn’t surprised to see that MailChimp had earned a 5-star rating for customer service from their customers. My question for them was, “How do you keep it up?” Check out the comment that Ben, one of the head chimps had to say:

    I can tell you that my co-founder, Dan Kurzius, is in charge of customer service here, and he does not handle customer service the traditional way.

    His philosophy is, “Don’t just answer. Explain.”

    Explain what’s happening, so the customer learns something. People like to learn, so you just made them happy. The bonus, when you explain, is they won’t do it again.

    So everything we do is based on “explaining things.”

    All departments are focused on the customer experience. Here are some of the strategical things we’re doing in each department.

    Design:
    – Build the product so it “explains” while you use it. That’s ongoing and never ending. Help text, hints, intuitive interfaces, usability tests with customers. We’re hooked on clicktale, crazy egg, google analytics, yslow.

    Hiring:
    – Only hire people who are smart and who like to explain. No call center drones.

    Marketing:
    – This, IMHO, is the biggest one. Do our best to only attract customers who like learning, who have a good sense of humor, and who like to tinker. We call them “power users.” Scare away customers who need too much hand-holding (either because they’re too new to email marketing, or they think they know everything, but ironically, demand account executives to help them with everything). Big giant monkeys on our home page, and saying stuff like “reports that’ll make you poop your pants” tends to do the trick. :-) If you attract the wrong people with the wrong expectations, they will never, ever be satisfied.

    Webinars:
    Weekly webinars that go over all the basics. Right now, Dan does them. Soon, every member of the customer service team will do them. Terror and stage fright keeps things fun.

    MailChimp Academy:
    – Videos teach people how MailChimp works so they can learn on their own time. They’re on mailchimpacademy.blip.tv, but also peppered throughout the product.

    There are a million other things the customer service team is experimenting with, but that’s sort of a high level view of our strategy.

    The question is… how does this philosophy work in the world you work in?

  • Blackberry or iPhone?

    I am tired of my phone. I’ve rocked my HTC 8525 for almost 2 years and it’s pretty much outlived it’s usefulness for me. The lack of battery life and the size of it really don’t help. It does some funny things… like I have alarms set on it that won’t stop. And it has calendar items from my time in Romeo that I can’t seem to delete. And since I’ve dropped it a couple of times, it sometimes flakes out completely. It’s been a workhorse and I’m ready to put it out to pasture.

    This has caused me to do some shopping. And I’m really at a loss of what to get. I like the idea of the Google phone, but I make it a habit to never by the first generation of anything tech. And smartphones are clearly out. So that leaves me with two choices, Blackberry or iPhone?

    Of course this is all tied to a bigger question. Do we finally drop our 10 year relationship AT&T? I’ve been abundantly honest about the fact that their customer service is horrid. And when you couple that with their unique ability to jack my bill up higher and higher all the time, it may be time to move to another provider… thus making Blackberry my only real choice.

    But here’s what I am thinking. I know I’m a power user. I also know that I’d love to have everything in my life be on a single platform. I wonder if there is any way they’d let me test drive both before making a decision? 2 years is a long time to hate a phone.

    The big thing going for the iPhone in my book is that it’s an interface I’m used to and like, I already know how much AT&T sucks, it’s a fun toy, I could sell my new nano, and I know that if I jacked it up Apple would fix it. The big thing going for the Blackberry is that it’s a proven performer. It’s a workhorse like my current phone. What it lacks in sex appeal it gains in functionality.

    Eh, I’ll probably sit on this one through the holidays. If I had to chose today I’d go with the Blackberry. I think the iPhone is cool. But at the end of the day, the iPhone doesn’t seem to be for power users.

  • A few new customer service annoyances

    It seems like every day I either have great customer service or horrible. Here are the last few that I’ve encountered.

    • #1 Delta Airlines. To say that our flight from San Diego to Atlanta on Monday was a disaster is an understatement. We’re a family of four traveling together. Do you think you’d seat children with their parents? It would seem logical that a parent would be seated next to a 4 year old, wouldn’t it? But not on Delta. They seated Megan and Paul together and Kristen in the same row, just other side. Then they stuck me way in the back. Long story short, I had an empty seat next to me. I asked if the flight attendant could go to Megan’s seat and get her for me so that I could sit by her and then Kristen could move to sit by Paul. He said… “No problem. Actually, there is a way to all sit together if you move up to their row.” So I got up… and as soon as I got up he moved a lady/child into my seat and then told me he couldn’t really get us together. He tricked me out my seat to solve his problem. Thus putting me in a worse situation! I went from a window seat with an extra next to me to a middle seat surrounded by other adults. I said to the flight attendant, “You know you just totally screwed me right? I trusted that you were telling me the truth.” He went on to try to say that the other lady wouldn’t sit apart from her child and that it was the only way the flight could take off. When I, rather bluntly, told him that what he did was lie to me to prioritize that family over my own and that he was wrong… he tried to be empathetic with me and offered us “free videos” on the flight. Of course, being Delta even that didn’t work. So Kristen and I were roughly near the kids but not next to them. It gets worse… so we were scrunched next to people and the kids were alone. Of course, our seat mates promptly fell asleep so that no one could easily go to the bathroom. Then to make matters worse, the flight attendants spent 4 hours peddling food and credit cards to us! I can’t believe that in order to fly I have to listen to a credit card offer and buy $6 snacks. Give me a break Delta. Kristen got off the plane and aptly described the flight as “the worse flight of my life.” So if you fly Delta, look out for flight attendants who lie and peddle stuff to you the whole time. Totally annoying.
    • #2 Semco Energy. This is our local natural gas vendor. Their billing system is totally jacked up. I never get bills from them anymore. I don’t even get late notices. Their phone system calls my cell phone all the time but doesn’t say anything… literally just blank air. The only time I hear from them is when they drop off a disconnect notice! The crazy thing is that I typically pay via their online payment system. Well, starting in May they started rejecting my online payments. I have no idea why. They keep telling me that my routing numbers are off… but they aren’t. (Pay almost all my bills online!) Then about 3 days after I try to pay I get this really ugly letter from them. Then I get a hand delivered disconnect notice. Calling their customer service line is nearly as much fun as calling AT&T. After 40 prompts and entering my account number 2-3 times, giving them my SSN a few times, and verifying my billing address at least twice. I get told the same thing over and over again. “Our system is fine.” The best part about our latest disconnect notice is that it’s for so little money AND our bill isn’t even late! So my bill is due 7/28 but they are going to disconnect our gas today. Brilliant customer service. Morons.
    What about you? What companies are treating you like dirt?

  • $200 Asterisk for the iPhone 3G


    iphone 3g $199    If you are like me you didn’t notice the tiny asterisk in this image. But there is one. Do you see it?

    This morning I intended on lining up at the Partridge Creek Apple Store to upgrade both of my AT&T phones to the smoking hot iPhone 3G. 

    Since I’ve been a loyal AT&T customer since 1998 I knew I needed to call their customer service and make sure there weren’t any surprises. And boy am I glad I did.

    Not pictured here with Steve is the asterisk. You have to be a new customer or have an expired contract with AT&T to get this price. In the dozens of articles and videos I’d watched about the new iPhone I somehow missed this little detail. Stupid Adam, fooled again.

    So, people like me who have been loyal to their wireless company are getting hosed. No love for us on the iPhone. The loyal customer price is $399. Even on the Apple site I can’t find $399 mentioned as the price, but that’s how AT&T has always treated loyal customers… horribly. 

    So, I talked to customer service. If you are like me and are looking to get an iPhone 3G for the advertised $199 instead of the loyal customer price of $399, here are a few tricks the customer service agent told me to try. 

    #1 Cancel your existing account. Yes, she told me that! After 10 years as a customer, I was told the best service I could get with AT&T was to cancel my account. 

    #2 Add lines, suspend lines. To get the $199 I could add 2 lines to my family plan for $10 per month and suspend my current 2 lines for free. Eh? She even told me I should just give away my other 2 lines “to anyone.” 

    #3 Keep calling AT&T until you get someone to agree to give you the upgrade price before your current contract expires. (Mine is in September)

    #4 Open a new account under a new name. If you are like me and have a family plan, just close your account under one name and start a new account under the other. 

    Of course I am not going to do any of these. Next month we are moving across the country and I know from experience with AT&T that they’ll offer me a new two year contract than. This may also be our time to try a new company, like Verizon. 

    AT&T has always had the worst customer service in the mobile phone industry. I’ve long held that AT&T is a great company as long as you never call the 800 number and that is re-confirmed every time I talk to “customer care.” 

    Here I am, a customer of 10 years that would like to re-up his contract for 2 more years at a rate nearly double what he currently pays and I’m told I can do one of 4 “tricks?” 

  • 2 Weekend Retail Annoyances

    Just thought I would share two annoying things that happened to us over the weekend from local retailers.

    1. Ritz Camera I’ve not been shy on Twitter about my desire to buy Kristen a killer camera. We finally decided on a lens/body package and headed over to the mall to pick it up. This wasn’t a small purchase and I expected the clerk at the store to treat it that way. What we ended up with was a gum chewing mall rat. She was very nonchalant about the whole thing and a little snobbish. I kept thinking to myself, “We’re spending more in 15 minutes than she’ll make in 2 months.” When we were checking out she repeatedly tried to upsell me. An extra couple memory cards? An extra battery? An extra lens thing? A bag? And my personal favorite… a 3 year replacement plan which costs 75% of the item! So I was annoyed already and ready to leave. Then we went to pay. And then she asked for my drivers license. I thought, “Kind of odd, but whatever.” Then she pulled our some 1995 looking binder and proceeded to start calling the bank. My blood pressure shot up as my blood boiled. We were spending some money, but not THAT MUCH money. After about five minutes of announcing to the small store all sorts of personal information like my bank account numbers, drivers license numbers, home address, phone number… you know, everything someone would need to open a credit card in my name. I was annoyed enough that I had wandered to the front of the store to calm down. Then she hung up the phone and loudly said from the back of the store, “Mr. McLane, you’ve been declined. Do you have another form of payment?” Right in that second I had to make a decision. Lose it or let it go? I chose to let it go and we left the store. The account we were drawing from had 3x’s the amount of cash needed to cover the cost… she was just a twit that couldn’t complete a simple transaction. Want my advice on buying a nice camera? Ebay. I came home, went on Ebay and got a better package deal for $200 less. Forget Ritz. They will be out of business soon anyway.
    2. There is a gas station in Romeo deserves some exposure. They’ve been running a little scam for a couple of months and it’s time someone says something. They very intentionally advertise their prices at $.10 lower than the gas station across the street. So right now the new station (with the Tim Hortons going in) is $3.99. The offending station has advertised $3.89. The trick is simple… they are actually charging $3.99 but you won’t know that until you put your card in the pump. It’s a scam. It’s stupid. And I hope they get fined for it.

    I don’t wish ill-will on anyone or any company. But I just can’t stand bad customer service or false advertising. In the end, the consumer will not be deceived. They may get a sale or two… but business in retail is about repeat business and not single transactions.

    There are a lot of businesses going out lately. The difference between winners and losers right now is obvious. And these are two companies that don’t stand a chance.

    p.s. For those whining about gas prices. Gas is over $11/gallon in Northern Ireland. And I paid $4.88 in San Diego.

  • Bank Robbery: Why banks rob consumers…

    bank robberWalking into a bank is like walking into a casino. You walk into the building and think to yourself, “Where did they get all of this money?” The answer is simple: They make it from people like me.

    (more…)

  • CSR: Youngers Irish Tavern

    CSR GoodIt’s St. Patrick’s Day! So it’s time to cover the only “Irish” place in town. We’ve lived in Romeo nearly 5 years and this location, 120 S. Main Street, there has been at least restaurants. Younger’s is the only one good enough concept to truly make it.

    Location: Downtown Romeo. With ample parking in the rear and street parking, access is never an issue. As far as Romeo is concerned this is prime real estate.

    Description: The first time I entered Younger’s I was blown away. I really felt like I had stepped into a place on Rochester Road in downtown Rochester. The owners of Younger’s completely transformed the space. And it looks great. Inside there are two completely different environments. The high top bar area (which I prefer) and the more traditional booth and table seating. It claims to be an Irish bar. And the main bar area could pass for such if the interior were less spacious and featured local football or rugby club decor instead of the “old Ireland” photos. But a noble attempt nonetheless.

    The food itself is very good. I particularly enjoy the sweet potato fries and the bleu cheese burger. Soups are also quite good there.

    Service: Holding Younger’s back is its service. The upscale feel, decor, quality of cuisine, and price are not always matched by the service of the staff. While they are appropriately friendly they tend to lack knowledge of their products and the food comes very slow. (Plan on lunch taking 70-80 minutes) This is probably fine when one is on a date… but when I’m on lunch or going after church this is simply too long to wait for food.

    Cost: These are golf course prices. Typically, a lunch for one will cost $10-11. (burger, fries, pop, tip)
    While the quality of the food makes up for that, I am normally so rushed to leave by the time the food arrives that the cost vs. quality equation pushes me to the “don’t come” at the moment of decision. (No such problems with two competitors in the same strip.)

    Rating: Gosh, I really love the food here. And I am confident that Younger’s is going to make it. But this is a customer service report… they are “good.” I hope that they address these basics concerns to move on up towards excellence. (Speed, knowledge of product.) They can do better. And with lots of competition for food service business in Romeo at this price point, let’s hope they get it right soon.

    Sidenote: I think I’m going to start giving lower ratings for local businesses who don’t have a web page. Heck, I’m willing to barter for food!

  • Less than perfect Apple experience

    Dress MacSo I don’t get flamed, let me first say that there are a lot of things I like about my new iMac. It’s pretty and it has loads of power.

    OK, that’s out of the way. Now I can complain about the things I’m not thrilled with on my new computer.

    1. It arrived with the wrong operating system. This cost me more than a few hours of my life. While it’s true I didn’t have to pay for Leopard, Apple shouldn’t have sold me a computer with their old operating system at full price without telling me. When I’ve complained about his to other Apple users I’m basically blown off as if this weren’t a big deal. It’s a big deal. I consider my time to be valuable.
    2. It won’t “just connect” to my Windows network at home. I have fiddled with it for ages trying to get the new operating system to talk to our XP Home desktop and my XP Pro laptop. The only solution I could make work was getting my laptop to talk to the Mac one way. In other words I can use a Windows computer to access the Mac but not visa versa. I’ve read dozens of tutorials and helps and it won’t work. That’s not cool in my book. It takes less than 2 minutes to do this in XP… 4 days and still not working on the Mac.
    3. There is really no introduction to Mac/Leopard available. I would consider myself pretty web/tech savvy when it comes to Windows and it has taken me a week to feel like I know how to do some things. If it weren’t for Patti and a few other long-time Mac users I probably would have just taken it back to the Apple store and went out and bought 2 new Windows desktops. At least with Windows I know how to make stuff work. Seriously, if they are looking for flocks of hardy Windows users to convert they are going to have to make the learning curve a whole lot less. I haven’t even figured out how to install new programs yet… at least not “the right way.” When I booted the thing up the first time I wish there was an introduction I could have watched to teach me most of the stuff I’ve had to ask about.
    4. Customer support is actually pretty average. Other than being American-based and not available 24 hours I don’t see anything atypical about being hung up on, put on hold for long amounts of time, and otherwise not helped. I explained my problem to a customer service person and she actually laughed at me. Way to make me feel like a million bucks, lady.
    5. Too many things that your expected to just know. Apparently you aren’t supposed to put DVDs with paper labels in an iMac. When I discovered this on an Mac users forum I was pretty annoyed. It’s just like the fact that my computer didn’t have Leopard installed… I was supposed to just know that too. So it took me a couple hours but I finally got that disc out.

    I know I sound ungrateful. This is a very pretty machine. My kids love it. Heck, I love it. But my experience is so far is that Mac just proves everything Seth Godin wrote in All Marketers Are Liars. The marketing department created a “lie” (e.g. marketing strategy) that their users believe. And they believe it to the core. Whether or not Mac is better than Windows isn’t even the discussion. The assumption that the user base has is that it is a superior product in every conceivable way.

    My point here is that I want people who are switching (as I am) to know that it’s not as easy as you think it’s going to be. Switching platforms is a radical change in how you use a computer. I am not saying “don’t do it” but at the same time I want potential people for the switch to know that it’s not a matter of taking the thing out of the box and plugging it in either. It’s a big change. It’ll take you a long time until it feels natural. All the time I am switching back to my laptop because I can do something easier, faster, and better on Windows than I can on Mac.

    Put that in a commercial!