I love CUSTOMER CARE. I started to say customer service, but as I thought about it I realized that perhaps that is what I don't like. Customer service is simply going through the motions and getting "the job" done. Customer care is actually looking at your customer, putting yourself in their shoes, and trying to give them exactly what they need. More than what they need...what will delight them. To care for them as people, not just see them as every other customer.
I wonder sometimes why the senior management in most companies do not spend much time checking out the front lines. I believe any CEO should spend regular time meeting with customers. Not just the big customers, but a random sampling of everyman. If there is a call center, I think they need to do some time answering the calls. Or at least listening in. (Truth is many CEOs would not be able to answer the questions.) I think they would be surprised. I think perhaps they would reconsider if those jobs should pay minimum wage and minimal skills. I think it's worth investing resources there. Pay more than the rest for very competent customer care professionals, then give them the tools and empowerment to get things done. It would pay off in spades.
A friend of mine lost her Fitbit recently. My immediate reaction was "Write them, tell them, and send them a receipt." I lost mine in a field in SC, while crewing at a balloon festival. We barely found that field with GPS....I never would have been able to find it again once I realize my Fitbit was gone. I wrote the company because I was annoyed I lost it. I didn't blame the company, but I was (and still am) confused as to why they designed the bands so they could come off so easily (especially for someone like me, who has lost rings off of her fingers.) I also wanted to tell them I did like their product, though, and had benefitted from it. I didn't expect for them to ask for proof of purchase and replace it....but they did. Yes, I like that company.
We all have the horror stories. The people who treat us like we are interrupting their day. Those that ignore us as they have a personal conversation with their co-worker. Those who have a line of customers a mile long and work as though they are heavily medicated and don't see it (especially in airports....don't get me started.) The calls we make to Customer Service that require 15 phone prompts, and still get us someone who isn't very helpful. Is it a wonder we're all a bit crazy about it?
If you run a business, you have to be concerned about your customers. Whether you run a Fortune 500 company, or just a business of one. If you want to have a successful business it's probably not just about you. Sometimes your policies and procedure have to be about the customers you wish to have or retain. Their problems, their schedules, their needs...they should be important to you. You'll be dealing with people who are imperfect. How you react to them matters. Are you out to judge them, to berate them, or perhaps should you show them some mercy? Sometimes you have to deliver bad news, or even criticism, but these sorts of things can be done with kindness. Caring for people doesn't always come naturally. What's that saying "It's easy to show love to the lovely?" Many businesses have been made with a customer base of the unlovely, who once they are noticed start to shine a bit brighter and become much nicer.
In this age of poor social skills, customer care is almost a lost art. I think I have become accepting of even mediocre service because that's the high side of the norm. But those times when I as a customer am delighted, I try to delight them in return. I want to give them more of my business and I want to send my friends. The little things matter. If you're going to be in a business where you have customers, don't let them walk away without noticing you, simply because you didn't notice them. Each is different. Make them feel special, so they feel that you care. I love customer care.....because it means you care about your customer.
I can be a pain in the rear when it comes to good customer service. I think that is the cornerstone of a good business....and good business matters to me, because people matter to me and businesses are people. We forget that sometimes, and buy into the thought that a business is an entity of itself. It never really is, so don't ever let anyone hide behind the idea of the "corporate machine", lest you become the star of "The Emporer's New Clothes". Don't remember that story? Google it, or go and read it here:
http://www.andersen.sdu.dk/vaerk/hersholt/TheEmperorsNewClothes_e.html
Public relations and marketing are fascinating to me. I have a fixation on both and have since my college years. Maybe even before that. Truth is, they can make or break a business. Over time they have become spin doctors.....those who mold the truth to make it palatable. In this world that is a great skill. One that can make or break a business. Unfortunately it can also make or break a person's (company's) character when used to pass off a lie as truth or only reveal part of the story.
I give feedback. Don't ask me what I think about your business (or your personal life) unless you are prepared for the truth according to Kim. Not that I am always right....or that my opinion is better than your own or that I expect you to change things just because of what I say. But if asked, and often when not asked, I will try to give it to you, limited knowledge and all. You can tell me to stop, and I will. Almost always.
So, I was eating a Quest bar one day, one of my favorite protein bars for a variety of reasons (they meet my protein requirements....no wimpy amounts for me...and are constantly ranked as one of the best out there...and you know I am a geek who reads up on this stuff). Anyway, I noticed something in there that wasn't supposed to be there. It looked like a hair, or maybe a string. Freaked me out for a bit, until I realized I didn't think I had eaten any of it (note I didn't ponder this at great length. If I did, I didn't want to know.)
But because if I were a business I would want to know such a thing, I sent them an email. Not because I was horrified, or plotting a lawsuit (I find that silly and wrong), but because they needed to know.
They took immediate action....sent me a box to put the remains in and said they would study it. Had someone come and pick it up. Also sent me a couple of boxes of Quest bars.... which I was not afraid to eat, by the way. I had eaten hundreds before with no issue.
I thought that the whole thing was over, until I received a letter from them the other day. The letter made me love their company and not just their product. To me it was the best in customer service. Taking a complaint seriously, investigating it, figuring out what happened and why, putting in a plan of action for it not happening again, and keeping me included as part of the "team" solving the program. Here is that letter:
http://support.questproteinbar.com/attachments/token/ItCgpJcl85RdtU80AuLMq3YAK/?name=customer+Concern+%2349414+Kim+Mckinney.pdf
I share this to celebrate this company, not to shame them. I have much respect for how they handled the situation. Here's what I think we can learn from this:
1. Check things out. I could have been a crazy person wanting to sue....or someone just wanting free Quest bars. They checked out my claim.....asked for the evidence. As someone who doesn't like false claims, I totally respect this. If making a claim about the quality (or character) of a product, company, or person, offer the first hand proof to back it up.
2. Consider the fact that you might be wrong. Listen to criticism, check it out, and take it seriously.
3. Acknowledge fault. When you're wrong, say you're wrong. Don't gloss over it, don't try to hide it.
4. Don't only look at the problem on the surface. Ask the important questions - how did this happen and how can we make sure this doesn't happen again?
5. Use any problem or mistake as a learning experience. How can it make you better?
6. How is your quality control team? Are the people who surround you effective at guaranteeing your quality? Whether you are a business or a person, having a good quality control staff is gold. Sometimes a business has to remind and re-train. Sometimes as an individual you need to make sure those who surround us care about our quality (our character and well-being) and make the effort to speak up or challenge when there are problems.
7. When people give you good feedback, let them know if you use it. Let them know if it changes who you are or how you do things. Even if it is years later. Too often we don't do this, and we have neglected an opportunity to help that person see why they are here. Let's encourage people for the good they do, and not just criticize those who de-rail us.
8. Don't have unrealistic expectations of people or companies. We all make mistakes. That bonds us. Let's not be finger pointers, without being willing to make things better. And let's be gracious in our forgiveness.
When problems occur, the best approach is just to go naked, not pretend you are wearing clothes, adding a few extra layers or putting on a complete disguise so no one can really see you. When we see others make mistakes, let's remember our own and be part of their solution, not blow the problem out of proportion. Let's also not ignore mistakes if they need to be revealed. Be pure in your quest. Covering up who you really are and what you really do does nothing but diminish your humanity and your integrity.
