Long ago, far away (OK, about an hour from where I write this) … in a softball game, I  failed to catch a ball thrown to me at first base. This disappointed my coach because he depended on me to catch a reasonable throw every time. He forgave those occasional wild throws out of my reach. But not this one.

Photo from flickr user Keith Allison

As soon as the team got all three outs and came off the field into the dugout, I went to the coach. The look on his face confirmed my suspicions that he’d be disappointed in me. I apologized and told him I’d hit a home run to make up for it.

That was some promise for 12-year-old me. I excelled in softball, but I didn’t hit homers in every game or every other game. I felt bad about my mistake and wanted to make up for it.

And I did.

The Proof’s in the Pizza

People can recover from business mistakes. They happen and most of us rational folks accept that. It’s how we handle the mistakes that impress or depress customers. Amy Ravit Korin ordered pizza from Dominos online without talking to anyone. You’d think placing an order online would cut errors since you don’t have anyone speaking or listening in the equation. It’s all in writing (typing).

Not only did the pizza arrive over an hour late, but also it wasn’t the pizza she ordered. Korin tweeted a pizza her mind about the experienced in Twitter. Ramon DeLeon, the owner, caught her tweet and responded that he would make it up to her. First, he sent the correct pizza.

The next morning, he apologized in a video that also included the store manager. Despite its mistake, Domino’s gained respect and lots of video embeds for owing up to its mistake.  DeLeon also provide Domino’s pizza for over 350 people at a social media gathering in which Korin was involved in unbeknownst to him. (Talk about fate!)

Customer Service All A-Twitter

When I’ve complained in Twitter and received a response from the company, I’d follow up with a positive tweet about the company. Do a search for #customerservice and you’ll see complaints, compliments and job listings. Here are a few minus the job listings.

PatrickCSanders: Just had the absolute worst #customerservice experience @vapiano_usa on 18th&M NW #DC. Absent-minded chefs/mgmt, & food that never showed!

HeyyyGuyyy: Horrible #customerservice by @BestBuy_Deals during Hurricane Irene – Picture #BestBuy #Irene

I checked on the company accounts of the two negative tweets. No acknowledgment. Another user started a conversation with @PatrickCSanders about experiences with Vapaino.

People will talk about you and your company without you. While we can’t control anything online, we can listen and acknowledge. It can mean the difference between negative publicity and earning customer advocates.

What mistake did you experience that you complained about online? Did the company respond? Have you turned a problem into a positive experience? What happened?

Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2011 Meryl Evans

Image credit: Karl-Erik Bennion

I had a whole box of party favors leftover because I overestimated the number of kids attending. I contacted the company to ask if I could return the unopened party favors for a refund. The company said to keep it, and they’ll issue a refund. Sure, it may cost more for me to send it back and for the company to deal with the return. But to me, the company surprised and delighted me. I have made more purchases after that.

My daughter is a hostess and waitress at a nearby eatery. She had a great day until our family dined there. We were her last customers and she messed up our order. We did not complain. Instead, we told her it was OK and we know mistakes happen. Nonetheless, our drinks were free.

I’ve posted other customer service experiences. In looking at how I land new clients, I find the majority come from word of mouth recommendations. That tells me customer service must play an important role in my career as a writer. I represent me and what you get is me. Customer service is more than just doing great work with a smile. Customer service is also a marketing tool.

I believe the following actions make up the customer service element of a writer’s business:

1. Provide excellent results: You can be the nicest and easiest person in the world, but it won’t save you if you repeatedly submit poor quality work. The client will give up. This isn’t the same thing as perfection. I could keep perfecting this post, but I had to stop and let it go.
2. Meet deadlines: Are you on schedule? Late? Or constantly asking for deadline extensions? Good writers plan ahead so they don’t fall into the last minute trap, which could lead to sacrificing quality.
3. Listen: Let go of what’s on your mind and listen to what the client says so you can understand. Don’t be in a hurry to share your thoughts and experience. It’s easy to miss what the client really wants. Respond by reflecting on what the client said instead of turning it around to make it about you. I received an article request from a client, but the client didn’t like the direction the article took. Several colleagues reviewed the article request and the article. They all agreed I met the request. It doesn’t matter if it was the client’s fault or mine. I collected more information from the client and rewrote it. (See #7.)
4. Make it easy to work with you: Are you easy to work with? Do you fight every edited word? Are you listening to the client’s preferences and styles? Do you follow the client’s process? Are you accessible? Some of the busiest authors are also the most accessible. More accessible than plenty of unknowns.
5. Stay cool: No matter how the client behaves or acts, your attitude and response to the client should never burn bridges. Even if you go separate ways, the client can still talk about you. Sometimes your personalities and styles don’t mesh. It happens. One client wanted web content that didn’t reflect content standards. It was better to separate than to give the client what he wanted. What he wanted wasn’t what I could deliver. Furthermore,  I would not have enjoyed the work, which brings us to…
6. Enjoy the work: Do you hate the work? That will affect your attitude and everything else about the project. Maybe you need to let go. It’s OK to work toward assignments you love and enjoy. Your passion will shine through and make a difference in your outlook, which in turn affects service. I find I procrastinate more on work that I dread. I’m lucky that’s not an issue anymore.
7. Fix mistakes: Problems happen. We all make mistakes. Really. It’s HOW you handle those mistakes that can make the difference between great and lousy customer service.
8. Respond quickly: How quickly do you return calls and emails? Even if you’re swamped, at least acknowledge you received the message and will get back to the person.
9. Solve problems: Do you work to help clients with their problems? Find another or better solution? Some people try to push their solutions on the clients to make it work rather than adapt to clients’ needs.
10. Be honest: A client overpaid me. I emailed the client to let him know and subtracted the overpaid amount in the next invoice. Yes, it’s hard to be truthful in some situations. Telling the truth can do less damage than telling lies and getting found out. Besides, you feel better about yourself. It also creates goodwill.

Regarding perfectionism, Christina Katz said it better than I could. “I’ve given up the tireless quest for perfection for a looser, friendlier style of working with myself and others. I also no longer worry, inordinately, about what other people think of me. I don’t fret about whether they think my service is or isn’t up to snuff. Instead, if my service isn’t momentarily the greatest–because I’m human, so of course this happens from time to time–I apologize and move on,” she says.

How do you provide great customer service?

I look forward to reading Mary Roach’s humorous Reader Digest column in every issue. The column reflects on things she runs into in life that many of us can relate. In the June 2007, she shares her experience in calling tech support regarding the Windows setup CD. Her computer crashed and it needed the setup CD to repair itself.

Unable to find the CD, she calls tech support. She reaches someone located in another country who is obviously a gatekeeper that routes calls. The gatekeeper asks her the same standard question that we all get when calling tech support (following the script, y’know?). Then the gatekeeper gives Roach the phone number to Microsoft.

She compares receiving a Microsoft phone number to a phone number for North America. Anyway, she calls the Redmond company where the technician reports she doesn’t need the CD because Windows comes installed on her computer. Oi!

Insert conversation here where they go back and forth and nothing happens. Finally, he walks her through using a different CD that will erase everything. To paraphrase her thoughts, “Gee, why don’t you drop a safe on my headache?”

She resolves her problem with a short trip to a nearby repair shop.

Situations like this make me grateful for the Internet, which provides us with the tools and resources to try to solve the problem on our own without making the dreaded support call. Here’s a recent example of how the Internet saved us.

Paul finally got around to installing the second dispenser in the sin that matched the new faucet and its accompanying dispenser. After he finished, the original dispenser would not pump soap and the new takes a lot of pumping to spew a pitiful amount of soap.

I went to the company’s Web site and found its troubleshooting (yes, the company uses this word even though it’s not a techie product) section. Within a few minutes, I ordered a replacement part. It arrived and it worked. This took maybe 10 minutes of my time. The other dispenser, however, took more effort as it didn’t appear in the list of products for troubleshooting.

After more research, I had to submit a customer service e-mail. The first e-mail said the company hoped it resolved my problem, but there was NO solution in the e-mail. I replied asking for the solution. The company said it sent a replacement part. Now we wait to see if it arrives. If it does and it works, I will have spent less time resolving this problem than it would take me to finally get to the right person in a relay phone call.

Update a few hours later: Of course, the replacement part arrived today after I posted this entry. Actually, I received the entire thing. Back to nagging Paul to get around to installing it. Let’s hope it works.

I haven’t been too lucky in terms of health lately. I got the flu shortly before a major family event. Then something hit me over the past weekend, but the symptoms were all over the place. I listen to the body and rest, but it doesn’t keep the guilt away when you’re a one-person business. It’s a struggle knowing I have clients waiting on me.

Some people work through illness — and I did on many occasions when I worked in the corporate world. I still do in my one-person job — but I have to make an executive decision whether it’s good or bad for the client. This past illness was definitely “do no work” that I had to turn down the opportunity to get a new client. But poor quality vs. gaining new one. I would’ve lost the new one had it not been my top-notch work. On top of that, it would’ve meant someone out there not having good things to say about the work.

Even if I know I can do the job for a new client, it’s more pressure because I want to do the best work possible and exceed expectations. I gave the client an alternate name to try to help her out — but I don’t always give a name because it has to be someone I know will do a good job.

Joel on Software has an excellent article that gives seven steps to remarkable customer service. Joel shares the things he learned about customer service that gets people to “remark” or talk about it.

He makes a very important comment about doing two things when fixing any problem. One, fix the problem. Two, resolve the problem so it doesn’t repeatedly become a problem.

I love the suggestion that helps avoid asking a customer a “duh” question that makes them feel stupid like “Is X plugged in?” I have an outlet where things fall out of it easily no matter how I try to adjust things. So it’s not a stupid question, but a precaution to check the simplest things because things can come unplugged after time. A vacuum turned off one of the surge protectors.

Joel tells a story about Lands’ End. I can tell you a story about the company, too. My daughter’s rolling backpack tore up on the bottom from her dragging it. Lands’ End has a lifetime guarantee on the backpack. The company replaced it with no questions asked even though the backpack was over a year old. This remarkable service has me talking about it, doesn’t it?

Once I did an abstract that wasn’t my best work. Even though I loved the book that I abstracted, sometimes I don’t click with an assignment. That’s what happened with this particular book. Another time, I must’ve been sleepwalking when I posted an entry as it had a couple of problems. I gave my clients discounts (one refused to take it).

I treat my clients as if they’re coworkers. When someone gets sick or has a family emergency, I check in with them and send cards. One client sent an email with sincere thanks for the card. I’ve been working with Hank Stroll of InternetVIZ for over six years. We met in person for the first time last weekend when he flew down from Minnesota for a special family event (which is why I haven’t posted much lately). We had a wonderful time meeting and talking.

Good Experience tells how JetBlue went out of its way with customer service.

What excellent customer service have you experienced or given customers?

Most of you probably went to a restaurant where the food and service was excellent. But then you go to another location of the same restaurant and it was a disaster. Franchising is complicated as some require their chains to do everything the same while others have more leeway by owner.

A pizza buffet chain opened near me. We liked the place in Fort Worth and my kids’ school held spirit nights there. One problem. This location’s food bombed. It was a shame because of its convenient location and the right atmosphere for a spirit night. The place closed within a year or so. I wonder why?

Service varies as employees aren’t going to be carbon copies of each other. But good service could be a matter of good training. But food shouldn’t vary much. But, food quality can vary in one location. How many times have you ordered the same thing where sometimes it’s great and other times it’s blah? That happened at another pizza restaurant and a burger joint.

I don’t proclaim to know anything about the restaurant business except what I like and don’t like. Just one person’s observation on the lack of consistency.

Carter Bloodcare rules. I donate blood on a regular basis, or try to anyway. Carter makes it easy to set up an appointment as it can be done online. The donation appointment form, however, doesn’t play nice with Firefox. No biggie. I’d rather use IE than to navigate a recording to schedule an appointment. You can show up without an appointment, but you may have to wait.

Furthermore, you can check your cholestrol test results and check the date of the next time you can donate blood on the Web site. Now, if the organization would let me fill in my meds and answer the questionnaire online before I go. That’s my least favorite part of the appointment.

Know those postcards you get from non-profit organizations asking you to call if you have clothes and other items to donate? I prefer it when they leave a bag because it means they’ll drive by whether or not you call. I got a surprise the last time I received a postcard. The postcard said you could schedule pick up online. [ Read more... ]

At a time when shopping is big as well as returning items, we find items that don’t work or live up to our expectations. Rather than just complain, do something about it. It might surprise you. I bought two Miss a Kits and the pen didn’t work on either one. I wrote the company about it and the company promptly sent me replacements.

In another situation, my Microsoft mouse stopped working. Microsoft’s customer service was easy to reach and will send a replacement as soon as it’s in stock. On the flip side, I contacted Logitech support to ask questions and it was one of the longest, most tortuous support calls.

The Dallas Morning News had an article on the topic and how to best go about product problems. The article included an interview with Tim Duffy, a consumer evangelist who says he’s not a fan of sites like Planet Feedback.
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