Archive for the ‘Service Experiences’ Category
“You are tenacious like bull… I like.” – Peggy
"Peggy" and his staff... at your service!
Saw this this morning and had to post it. Pretty telling, and, frankly, these ads should be effective… and it’s all about service. Go figure. How many of us have gotten to speak to “Peggy?!?”
Too many… Enjoy the article, and be sure to view the new spots at the link at the end of it. You’ll laugh… you’ll cry… and you will RELATE…
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Discover Launches New Advertisements Featuring Customer Service
“Peggy” Ads Highlight Discover’s Superior Service, Taps into Consumer Frustration with Industry
RIVERWOODS, Ill., Aug 16, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) — Discover Financial Services today launched a new advertising campaign that highlights the superior, award-winning customer service Discover offers its cardmembers. The new advertisements will strike a chord with consumers who have endured poor customer service across industries while highlighting the best-in-class customer service that Discover cardmembers experience.
“Customer service is a key component of Discover’s long-standing commitment to delivering the best rewards, service and value,” said Julie Loeger, senior vice president of brand and product management at Discover. “These ads portray the common, frustrating experiences we’ve all faced with customer service calls and emphasize the difference good service can make. We believe that by featuring our promise to answer calls in 60 seconds or less by real people who are trained to solve problems on the first call, we will continue to differentiate ourselves to existing and prospective cardmembers.”
The television advertisements, which portray a likable but incapable customer service representative named “Peggy,” are the focal point of a marketing and communications strategy designed to convey the value of Discover’s superior customer service. The ads will remind viewers of some of the most common and frustrating experiences with customer service calls, such as long hold times, excessive call transfers and the inability to solve problems. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: call center service, customer service, Discover Card, outsourcing, poor customer service, service
Personal Service. The Mom and Pop Shop lives on… Enchante, Austin TX
I have taken up the revered mens pastime of shaving with a “real” razor over the past few months. The Double Edge, or DE razor has been around for a loooong time, and gives me a better shave – closer, less razor burn, and more fun than what I’ve been doing for the last twenty or so years – using a Gillette Sensor in the shower.
As with any hobby or niche, you find that the internet is a vast wealth of information on about everything. I quickly realized this with traditional wet shaving, and with a process called “Method Shaving.” Method Shaving is basically a pattern of shaving that is supported by a series of unique products that, bottom line, will give you the closest, most comfortable shave of your life. Seriously. I won’t get more in to it here, but will give you this link if you want to learn more: Clickety.
Charles Roberts, the man who created the Method Shaving system (or the RMWS, Robert’s Method of Wet Shaving) and the Hydrolast products is passionate about his craft and his business. Charles is a paramount example of how true passion about one’s work contributes exponentially to exceptional service. He and his wife Jean own Enchante, a store devoted to Mens wet shaving, Womens fine fragrances, candles, and other related items.
My experience with Charles starts with my wonderful wife and kids wanting to get me a new badger hair shaving brush for Christmas. This was an incredibly thoughtful gift, and quality badger brushes are not cheap, and are also somewhat difficult to find. They searched high and low – really low, in some cases, as often, men’s wet shaving supplies are in Pipe, Smoke and Cigar shops… places we do not usually support or visit. They were unsuccessful in their quest for a fine badger brush, until my eldest son came to the realization that Charles Roberts’ shop, Enchante, was actually here in Austin where we live. They decided to take me down there – a sort of pilgrimage to meet the man behind the Method…
My wife called the store one Saturday to see if it was open, as Weekend hours were off-and-on. There was no answer. She was going to try again, when a few minutes after her initial call, the phone rang. I didn’t know it at the time, but that was Charles calling back to let her know they were open, and there. How’s that for personal service?
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Charles Roberts, customer service, Enchante, RMWS, Wet Shaving
Sales as a service… buying a car
I haven’t bought a car for a decade. For me, my experience with the process of car buying has been akin to a bad root canal given to you by some shady character in a back alley. I detest the whole “let me waste your time and play little emotional sales games with you and go check with my sales manager who’s watching you from the other side of that mirrored glass on that” game. I just don’t enjoy it, but the time had come for us to either keep feeding a ten year old SUV’s aches and pains or get a new vehicle. Through the whole process, I’ve been taking a few notes… of course.
The bottom line, is that sales is a service. A good sales person makes the sale an enjoyable experience for the buyer. Support after the initial sale, however, is what truly makes or breaks a deal.
The internet has changed car buying, at least the initial part. We did most of our looking online. Reading countless safety reviews and weeding choices out based on their number of safety stars. That eliminated a LOT of cars, surprisingly. From there, I filled out the online forms – often it seems, auto dealers will not give you a price, even a sticker price online without you providing contact information. For me, that is a disservice – if you want me to save your salespeople the time, give me a price online.
I settled in with three distinctly different sales people on three different dealer sites… and things got interesting.
Act One: The dance…
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: poor service, sales, San Marcos Honda
Berry Cool Yogurt, Cedar Park TX
Service – I’ve often thought that it doesn’t matter what the business is, every business is capable of bettering their relationship with their customers. What matters is just that – the relationship. An honest, caring relationship with your customers is an absolute key to success.
My wife and I have a long term relationship with froyo – frozen yogurt. More than twenty years ago, we used to go to Country Culture yogurt in San Luis Obispo in college – that store is still there, a testament to good business… but that’s not what this is about – We live 2500 miles away now, but our love for good frozen yogurt is still there. The trend these days is the self serve, pay by weight frozen yogurt “bar.” There are a number of them in the local area. We had been frequenting one of the more popular ones in a trendy multi-use apartment/restaurant/retail space for a while when our daughter found a new one opening up in Cedar Park TX, just a few miles away via the blessing and curse that is our local toll road. We figured it would be a fun little family dessert to go try… The rest is funny family history, as we have never been back to the other one… Berry Cool is where we get our yogurt. Our daughter had found a gem.
Berry Cool Frozen Yogurt is a franchise – well, sort of. There are two stores (there is another one in California.) Aside from that, the store is what I would call “All Jay.” Jay is the owner/proprietor of Berry Cool. He has a great story about being an unfulfilled corporate attorney looking for meaning in life… and finding it as the owner of a frozen yogurt shop. I firmly believe that is part of the key here – he loves doing what he’s doing. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Berry Cool, Caring, Frozen Yogurt, Great Service, personal
Treat me like a valued customer and I’ll stick around…
Customer loyalty is really important in today’s world. There have been numerous studies done on the cost to source new customers versus the cost to keep the ones you have, and the results are ALWAYS that keeping customers is easier and more profitable. That makes sense, so why is it so difficult to do?
There is a reason I (and thus my family) have been a member customer of AAA for over eighteen years. Way back when, we were brought to the company by a family friend who was an agent in Porterville California. Duane was a guy we went to Church with, that my wife knew since birth, and he took care of us as family. It’s easy, or easier, when you are a friend or family member, but we left California shortly after that and have lived in four or five places since. Oddly enough, every interaction except one over eighteen years has been a good one. The one that wasn’t was more about a phone agent who didn’t know the rules in the state we were in, as she was in another one. The service after we got that runaround was timely, well mannered and accurate, as expected.
Whenever I call, I am thanked for my years of being a customer. I think that’s cool, and more so because, well, I write things like this about serving customers, and IT MATTERS to me as a customer. I like that they recognize I’ve stuck with them. Hopefully my rates reflect that, too. I’ve never checked… hmmmm.
A few weeks ago, my eldest child was involved in a mutual backing parking lot kiss. He was, a bit freaked out, as every driver in their first (however minor) fender bender is. He called and was doing everything he should have, and to make matters worse, the other driver just left, not wanting to exchange the pertinent information (which, by the way, is technically hit-and-run in Texas… but that’s another story.)
His little endeavor has exposed me to another insurance company – I won’t mention any names, but there’s this little green gecko that is on TV… Well, that company’s adjustor and agent have been flat out rude, in writing and in person. Amazingly so. Suffice it to say I will never entertain their services if I ever am in the market for insurance. Ever. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: AAA, Auto Club, customer service, service, Service Experiences
Social media and customer service…
I just had a tweet hit my phone. Okay, I have lots of them hit it… but this one was different. It wasn’t Darth Vader trash talking the Rebels, or McCain commenting on the latest meeting he’s in. It wasn’t the usual prose from a fly fishing writer buddy pondering the meaning of life on a small stream somewhere in the world… or even my daughter’s facebook status update that she posts via twitter.
The tweet I am referring to came from Dan Haseltine (scribblepotamus), who’s job is to sing for Jars of Clay. He has a modest following on the social phenomenon that is twitter of just under 2,700 followers.
The message was simple, and to the point – a factor of the 140 character limit imposed by twitter:
scribblepotamus “Is confident that the airline industry is the least customer friendly and they don’t care… More to come”
So there his subscribers were, hanging on the “more to come…” Sympathetically pondering something we all likely have experienced in one way or another. Six minutes later, more did come:
scribblepotamus “AA wouldn’t give a flight credit to our crew member who had to change a flight cuz his wife went into labor. Hmmm… Not helpful at all”
That simple message hit roughly 2,700 people within seconds of the event that inspired it. One random act of poor service, and WHAM! We now have a situation, and a company, and the seed has been planted.
This chain of events got me thinking. What is the real implication of the new Social Media and customer service? Can it be measured? Even more importantly, for a truly exceptional service company or provider, can it be LEVERAGED? I recently asked a good friend in the business of studying leadership and the continuum of human behavior about how his company is using Web2.0 media. Then this happens with twitter. I’m not sure where my mind is going, but feel free to join me.
This also jogged my memory – I have my own AA story that I may share someday that would begin with “There’s really no good place to sleep in the airport in New Delhi…”
Social Media and Customer Service. I’ll get back to you on this one. In the mean time, feel free to post or email your thoughts.
Dan, I’m really sorry about the lack of service your crew member received, but really appreciate the tweet. I hope Dad, Mom and baby are well.
Tags: American Airlines, Jars of Clay, poor customer service
My wife is a bad customer. An REI associate told her so.
As Saturday was Mother’s Day-eve, so to speak, we took Lovely Bride out to breakfast at Panera Bread. She’d been wanting to try it, and the soufflés were good. We had committed most of our day to serving at a low income apartment complex we spend lots of time at – doing Mobile Mother’s Day and helping the kids there create gifts for their Moms. We had a little time after breakfast, and decided to go check out the REI we’ve spend a fair amount of time and money at nearby.
Saturday was a busy day at the Gateway REI in Austin. I’m a co-op member at REI, and have been a customer for decades – Growing up close to Yosemite and spending my childhood in the Sierras and then spending more than a decade in Idaho, Oregon and Washington, it has always been a familiar and fun place to visit and shop.
As we strolled through the store, I noticed it was busy, and had thought it was a good sign in this economy, especially in a store that is not known for good deals but is known for good quality outdoor gear. Usually the store associates are knowledgeable and friendly, and the service is good if not notable… As a matter of fact, service and integrity are spouted regularly in their docs:
• ”We serve others with expertise and enthusiasm. At REI, our work environment encourages service to our customers and co-workers. Working at REI is about helping each customer get the most out of his or her outdoor adventure.”
• ”Doing the right thing is a way of life here.”
As we were wandering the store, we came upon the bicycles, and my five year old daughter – the timid one, grasped a handle grip, and tentatively stepped her foot on to a pedal – not in a way to get on the bicycle, but in more of a “feel out the height” way.
As my wife was moving her along (we were on our way out,) an REI Associate standing across the aisle literally yelled at them – “NO! GET HER OFF!”
I was stunned. My wife, well, she is the Mother Bear, and told the associate she wasn’t on the bike, and there was no reason to snap… “GET HER OFF” was the reply, which she had already done. So, the Mrs then proceeds to tell the associate that that’s “really not good salesperson behavior” – to which the person with the name badge that accurately and ironically read “NO MERCY MARY” replied:
“YOU’RE NOT A GOOD CUSTOMER!!”
I was done with this company at that moment, but I had to get her name and see her name badge. I had to tell this service crippled individual that this was not acceptable. I did, and then we left. When we got outside, two different families apologized to us… “That was totally unacceptable, are you ok?…” “I’ve never seen anyone act like that to a customer…” We shrugged it off as I feverishly took notes for this post…
I have taught Customer Service and personal leadership in fortune 100 Companies for twenty years, and this one takes the cake. “Not a good customer?” I’m going to use this story for YEARS. As service practitioners, we must return to the basics. We must stress polite interactions at all costs with customers. We can even look around in our stores and service centers and ask “why?” more often. Why would I want an associate who proudly displays their “No Mercy” nametag while interacting with customers? What does that imply?
I paid this company to be a member of their store for meager and selective discounts thus, in effect, I paid for this sales associate to berate my family. For years, I have intentionally gone in to REI to purchase things I knew I could get for less money elsewhere. I was loyal because I was a “Member.” Member, no more. This one goes down as the single most flagrant and ridiculous case of poor customer service in history for me, and is beyond unacceptable. In my opinion, and yes, based on this single encounter, REI has lost their service edge and my business. I can find equivalent gear in various other places that actually want my money and are gracious to my family.
My membership card has subsequently become a victim of what I am calling MY SERVICE EDGE.
Goodbye, REI. Please cancel my membership. I won’t be needing it any longer.
Tags: REI, REI Membership, REI poor customer service
P.F. Chang’s China Bistro, Austin TX
Eat there.
Our server last night was incredible. I wish I remembered his name (kicks self.) He is actually the reason I juiced this site – I wanted to send kudos to Chang’s. Awesome food, atmosphere and SERVICE!
If you’re in or around Austin, it’s a worthy place to satisfy your Asian food cravings (plus, the “shot glass desserts” are brilliant…)
So, to the young man who helped the couple that ordered dumplings, Moo Goo Gai Pan, and Honey Shrimp… and two of the dessert shots, thanks so much! From the guy who put away too many glasses of the iced tea…
I wish I remembered your name! I’ll ask the wife…
Edit! The Mrs. of course remembered our server’s name. Big kudos to our man JOSH!!!
Tags: p.f. changs, restaurant, service
Remedy Roofing, Houston, Dallas and Austin TX
Sometimes, service is not about the product, or even the before and during the sale or service. Every once in a while, a good product and sale can go wrong from a service perspective in the follow-up stages. This is one of those times.
The same hail storm that ripped up my car did a number on my roof.
I waited a couple months for the rush to recede and collected the multitudes of pamphlets that arrived on my doorstep, seemingly an endless supply of targeted marketing. I watched as houses up and down the street received new roofs, and decided to go with Remedy Roofing, a Texas outfit.
They came and did an estimate quickly, and I was impressed. The job went well also. Good follow up and a quality job – my roof appears to be well done, and my gutters are as well.
Then things went a bit south. My insurance company splits the payments, and I had given Remedy two thirds of the bill as soon as the work was done, and then requested the remainder from my insurance. Oddly, when I asked them to fax a bill to my insurance Company, the salesman asked me – “What’s the biggest number on your adjustor estimate?” – I didn’t quite understand, and asked what he meant… “I need to know the total – the biggest number on your estimate from your insurance Company.” I gave him the numbers and total – not thinking twice…
My insurance company recieved an invoice that day, for the EXACT amount of the full adjustor estimate…
A week later I had a check to mail to the roofing company. My insurance company has been stellar through this and my car repairs. Of course, within that week, I was called twice by the roofing salesman, telling me his boss was breathing down his neck (after a week? what type of cash cycle model are they using?) and to “Just write a postdated check and stick it under your doormat.”
I wrote the check and called them, requesting an itemized receipt and any additrional paperwork I might need for the roofing warranty. He said he’d get it, and that the estimate/contract would suffice as warranty. I wondered… what if the estimate didn’t take something in to account? I was confused. Still am…
Nothing came.
I called again, two weeks later, again requesting an itemized receipt and the paperwork. The sales guy blamed the office staff and told me he would get them to send it…
That was a month ago, and I still have nothing.
So today I decided to call the office… interestingly enough, you can’t get through to the office. You can only leave a voice mail. I used the email contact form… but I don’t have much faith that anything will come of it.
Lesson for today? Service does not end after the sale. It merely begins another dance between company and customer… Honesty is always the key, and follow-up is as important to the customer as presale service. I will not recommend this company to anyone in the neighborhood, not because they didn’t do a good job with my presale experience or on my home, but because they didn’t do a good job after the sale…
Tags: follow-up, remedy roofing, service
Wal-Mart, winning me back, one associate at a time.
I was digging through a dresser junk drawer that has followed me around for years the other day when I ran across some old pins – Wal-Mart Distribution Center pins that I used to wear on my badge fifteen plus years ago. My “Trainer” pin was there. That particular pin marked the beginning of this career in Learning and Development. “Back in the day” when I started with Wal-Mart, the service culture permeated the entire organization. Sam had just passed, and the reverence for his way of doing things was still fresh, almost to a fault. I believe I have mentioned it here, but the very first time that the Wal-Mart Board of Directors met in a Distribution Center was in the facility I was based in, and I got to coordinate the meeting. The exposure to people like Rob Walton, David Glass and especially Don Soderquist really left an impact on me.
I’ve never forgotten sitting on the tarmac with Lee Scott in Porterville after the Board Meeting waiting for “the jet” and him saying, “If you ever need anything, give me a call.” Of course, he wasn’t the CEO then. I still have yet to call for that chit… I wonder if it has expired. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: customer service, Wal-Mart
Caliber Collision, Hwy 620, Austin TX
After a major hail storm ripped up my little car, I had to file the first claim in some time longer than a decade with my current insurance carrier. The interaction with them is another post that could be titled “Service Recovery.” They gave me a list of “Preferred” repair shops, and my car has been gone for two weeks tomorrow… Which brings me to my first point.
Honesty in time and date estimations with customers is not an option. When you tell a customer a time or date, you’d better either get the job or task done before that date or at the very least let the customer know the status and when they can expect the work or service to be done. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: auto body repair, honesty, poor service, service, timeliness
Firehouse Subs, Round Rock TX
Jeff, someday I hope you find this post. Jeff is the current manager of Firehouse Subs in Round Rock TX.
Firehouse Subs is our family’s “go to” lunch and last minute dinner spot. Whenever we can’t decide where to eat, we all know that if someone says “Firehouse” there will be no complaints. The food is really good, sub sandwiches that have MEAT on them, unlike some more popularized unnamed sub chains… with yellow and green logos… and there is a huge selection of hot sauces – all arranged by “heat index” on the counter for you to put on the sandwiches. That fits with the firehouse theme nicely. If you’re a sauce lover like me, the sauces themselves are a big selling point.
Good food and a unique twist is a good start.
Good service is a good finish. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: corporate, food, service
Holiday Inn Express, Lawton OK
I have to note – on the trip for my wife’s Grandmother’s funeral, everything that the Comfort Suites in Fort Worth WASN’T, the Holiday Inn Express in Lawton Oklahoma WAS. The room was substantially less expensive, larger, cleaner, safer, etc.
As customers, we often only gripe about our experiences. I have no complaints about the time we spent in this hotel, and as a result of this stay, Holiday Inn Express has gained my attention as a place my family can stay while traveling. That’s good. 
So, two thumbs up for Holiday Inn Express in Lawton! Thank you for a nice stay after a not so nice one the night before we arrived!
Jose, the Chick-fil-a MANager!
A quick note… the manager of the Tech Ridge Chick-fil-a in Round Rock TX, Jose, ALWAYS impresses us.
Jose is calm, kind, and takes the time to talk to every customer he interacts with – and he works at the La Frontera Chick-fil-a as well – two full time jobs, one as a store manager, and the man is always upbeat, helpful and calm. Service is what he’s about – during my last visit to his store, I listened to him calm a customer who didn’t like the layout of the recently changed overhead menu – of course something defined corporately that Jose had no bearing on, but he listened intently none the less, and explained the new menu to the customer, apologized for his inconvenience, and really impressed me. Again. Read the rest of this entry »
My Comfort Suites (Forth Worth) Saga
Here is a Service Example I’ve been subjected to lately… On our way to my wife’s Grandmother’s funeral, we spent the night at a Comfort Suites in Fort Worth TX. We got there late and left when we woke up. I had noticed a few things about the room and wrote them down, intending to email them later, and I got this email… Read the rest of this entry »
A letter to Barnes and Noble
This was really the impetus of this website, so it is included here for posterity.
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Sent: Thursday, August 30, 2007 8:44 AM
To: Barnes & Noble Customer Service (Retail)
This morning, my 6 year old son woke up, grabbed his completed form for the Summer Reading program, and excitedly asked me to hurry and get ready to take him to the store get his free book.
When we arrived at the customer service desk, he proudly presented his form and I asked the lady if this is where we were to turn these in. Without so much as looking at it, she took the paper, shoved it under the counter and handed him a piece of paper, telling him it was a coupon and he was to get a book and take it to the front counter. The fact that she did not look at his completed reading list was only worsened by the fact that she did not speak to him or even muster a “good job.” Read the rest of this entry »