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Customer service is probably one of the most basic and fundamental qualities to have as a business. Yet many fail miserably at delivering that service.
What has inspired me to write this post was how we were talked to by a member of staff by one of the larger composite door companies in our industry. The short version of the story is that there were rather major problems with some of the door slabs we installed a few months ago. A senior sales rep cam out to see them, agreed that they were very poor and that positive action would be taken. However 48 hours after agreeing to replacing them, a snotty, arrogant, attitudal member of their office rang to say that they wouldn’t be re-making them, despite the very poor nature of the product, and after a previous promise that they would be replaced.
But the thing that really put our nose out of joint was the way the office girl rang us up and told us that information. She told our office administrator the info, and was then very put out that she was put on the the proprietor to explain to him again why they weren’t going to honour the agreement they made earlier.
What I fail to understand is why companies employ people like this. Staff like that can cost companies business. And to that end, we are now looking at other products on the market. The customer service has been generally poor from this company, and it’s something which has made it hard to deal with them.
One of the most simple rules in business is to make sure you’re nice to your customers. It can cost you otherwise, and this time, it may well have done for this company.
What has inspired me to write this post was how we were talked to by a member of staff by one of the larger composite door companies in our industry. The short version of the story is that there were rather major problems with some of the door slabs we installed a few months ago. A senior sales rep cam out to see them, agreed that they were very poor and that positive action would be taken. However 48 hours after agreeing to replacing them, a snotty, arrogant, attitudal member of their office rang to say that they wouldn’t be re-making them, despite the very poor nature of the product, and after a previous promise that they would be replaced.
But the thing that really put our nose out of joint was the way the office girl rang us up and told us that information. She told our office administrator the info, and was then very put out that she was put on the the proprietor to explain to him again why they weren’t going to honour the agreement they made earlier.
What I fail to understand is why companies employ people like this. Staff like that can cost companies business. And to that end, we are now looking at other products on the market. The customer service has been generally poor from this company, and it’s something which has made it hard to deal with them.
One of the most simple rules in business is to make sure you’re nice to your customers. It can cost you otherwise, and this time, it may well have done for this company.
>This relates to customer retention – most smaller businesses only have a radius of potential customers in the local area – piss them off and you will be in a great deal of trouble!! Even pissing off current customers can lead to problems with your brand reparation and result in you receiving a bad name – its often said – A customer receives bad treatment he tells 10 friends, whereas when their receive good treatment this can often be as low as 3. Search how social media is been used very successfully in improving customer service and making it more… Read more »
>Did your proprietor immediately ask to talk to their proprietor? :)
Verbal contracts are binding, so if their salesman said that they will replace the faulty products, they have to do it.
Moreover, no matter who said what, if the products are genuinely faulty (and under guarantee), the supplier has a legal duty to rectify the problem. So in this case they have to sort the problem out and then lose you as a customer anyway – which makes the rudeness of their staff doubly costly.
>Mike – I don't think the proprietor of such a large company would have taken the time out to speak to ours ;)
>Customer service is a HUGE bonus for customers!
Especially in this market. So many people are suspicious of window sales reps thanks to programs like rogue traders.
This guy, Lee Croucher, has it right.
Jake