What Does Customer Service Mean?
I often hear people talking about horrid customer service, and I see this kind of comment on Facebook frequently.
It got me to thinking about what I do since I am the Customer Service Department, along with Kirby and Seeley, our canine helpers.
Most entrepreneurs had their habits formed in corporate America and I'm no exception.
My early jobs taught me a lot about the expectations of my supervisors and about the expectations of my customers.
When I left corporate America and took the Training Program for Virtual Assistants at AssistU.
com, I got another peek into customer service expectations.
So, all of that, plus my own inner who-I-am and how-I'd-like-to-be-treated, along with the meticulously fastidious manner in which my dear husband treats our clients, well, you're starting to get my drift: I want the Customer Service to be among the finest.
Here are the things I think are important: I want our customers to think there isn't anyone else alive near Forney, TX to whom I'd rather be giving my full attention, my caring, my concern.
I really work to know who they are; what jobs we've done for them; and what they might be calling about each time.
I want to be professional and courteous.
I realize that sometimes that just gets tough, but, dear readers, I truly do give it my all! I want our customers to feel as if I am giving his problem my all, that I will work for a resolution for his problem, that either I will call him back or Billy will.
I want our clients who require fixes to know that any fix Billy does will be permanent, not some temporary, Mickey Mouse, side-stepping work-around.
I want to communicate with the customers and keep them apprised of any progress on their appointment, their materials, their problem resolution.
I provide status updates so they don't have to call back and ask me what it is.
I am dissatisfied until and unless the customer is 100% satisfied.
I keep all promises I make to our customers, and I look over Billy's shoulder to be sure he is too...
although, frankly, it's usually him looking over my shoulder, but I DO try hard to do this.
I try to be nice, to be funny, and to act normal.
I'm not into stiff scripting.
I'm as real as I know how to be.
I know how important it is to have happy, repeat customers who'll tell their neighbors, so when I speak to you on the phone or via email, I keep 'pleasing you' in the forefront of my mind while we're communicating.
I want all our customers to be well-treated.
I appreciate that when I encounter Customer Service out there and I know how good it feels when I get it.
I want you to feel good, too.
Other Companies With Great Customer Service I don't think I'm alone in appreciating fabulous Customer Service with regularity.
I read an article which listed these companies for having exceptional Customer Service.
I figure if they can, so can I.
Trader Joe's.
They're a privately-owned grocery store with a fabulous array of outside-the-norm groceries.
There's a story told about an 89 year old man who was snowed in and needed his groceries.
Not only did Trader Joe step outside their norm (no delivery), they delivered his groceries during a snow storm free of charge with a note wishing him a Merry Christmas! Above and beyond.
Rackspace is a managed hosting and cloud computing company.
During a ginormous problem session with Rackspace's tech support, the rep overheard the client saying she was so hungry.
The tech rep says: 'So I put them on hold, and I ordered them a pizza.
About 30 minutes later we were still on the phone, and there was a knock on their door.
I told them to go answer it because it was pizza!' We may not order you a pizza, but we love the spirit behind this and do it ourselves.
Ritz Carlton.
This is a four star hotel with locations all over the world.
Even if you're paying premium prices, (and you will!), you don't seem to mind because of their extraordinary customer service.
The story about a client who brought specialty foods for their allergic son only to discover they had been damaged on the trip in, motivated one of the Ritz' chefs to contact his mother in Singapore and put the products on the next flight to Bali.
Fabulous!
It got me to thinking about what I do since I am the Customer Service Department, along with Kirby and Seeley, our canine helpers.
Most entrepreneurs had their habits formed in corporate America and I'm no exception.
My early jobs taught me a lot about the expectations of my supervisors and about the expectations of my customers.
When I left corporate America and took the Training Program for Virtual Assistants at AssistU.
com, I got another peek into customer service expectations.
So, all of that, plus my own inner who-I-am and how-I'd-like-to-be-treated, along with the meticulously fastidious manner in which my dear husband treats our clients, well, you're starting to get my drift: I want the Customer Service to be among the finest.
Here are the things I think are important: I want our customers to think there isn't anyone else alive near Forney, TX to whom I'd rather be giving my full attention, my caring, my concern.
I really work to know who they are; what jobs we've done for them; and what they might be calling about each time.
I want to be professional and courteous.
I realize that sometimes that just gets tough, but, dear readers, I truly do give it my all! I want our customers to feel as if I am giving his problem my all, that I will work for a resolution for his problem, that either I will call him back or Billy will.
I want our clients who require fixes to know that any fix Billy does will be permanent, not some temporary, Mickey Mouse, side-stepping work-around.
I want to communicate with the customers and keep them apprised of any progress on their appointment, their materials, their problem resolution.
I provide status updates so they don't have to call back and ask me what it is.
I am dissatisfied until and unless the customer is 100% satisfied.
I keep all promises I make to our customers, and I look over Billy's shoulder to be sure he is too...
although, frankly, it's usually him looking over my shoulder, but I DO try hard to do this.
I try to be nice, to be funny, and to act normal.
I'm not into stiff scripting.
I'm as real as I know how to be.
I know how important it is to have happy, repeat customers who'll tell their neighbors, so when I speak to you on the phone or via email, I keep 'pleasing you' in the forefront of my mind while we're communicating.
I want all our customers to be well-treated.
I appreciate that when I encounter Customer Service out there and I know how good it feels when I get it.
I want you to feel good, too.
Other Companies With Great Customer Service I don't think I'm alone in appreciating fabulous Customer Service with regularity.
I read an article which listed these companies for having exceptional Customer Service.
I figure if they can, so can I.
Trader Joe's.
They're a privately-owned grocery store with a fabulous array of outside-the-norm groceries.
There's a story told about an 89 year old man who was snowed in and needed his groceries.
Not only did Trader Joe step outside their norm (no delivery), they delivered his groceries during a snow storm free of charge with a note wishing him a Merry Christmas! Above and beyond.
Rackspace is a managed hosting and cloud computing company.
During a ginormous problem session with Rackspace's tech support, the rep overheard the client saying she was so hungry.
The tech rep says: 'So I put them on hold, and I ordered them a pizza.
About 30 minutes later we were still on the phone, and there was a knock on their door.
I told them to go answer it because it was pizza!' We may not order you a pizza, but we love the spirit behind this and do it ourselves.
Ritz Carlton.
This is a four star hotel with locations all over the world.
Even if you're paying premium prices, (and you will!), you don't seem to mind because of their extraordinary customer service.
The story about a client who brought specialty foods for their allergic son only to discover they had been damaged on the trip in, motivated one of the Ritz' chefs to contact his mother in Singapore and put the products on the next flight to Bali.
Fabulous!
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