May 2007 - The Loyal Customer

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Seat #29E

May 29th 2007 21:26

We all have bad customer service experiences once in a while. Fortunately, most of them don't last as long as a plane flight! What follows is a colorful customer complaint to Continental Airlines.

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High Gas Prices? Don’t Do This

May 25th 2007 02:26

I made a real dumb ass mistake on my trip to North Carolina a couple weeks ago. It’s even more embarrassing because I’ve thought about this happening before and always figured it wouldn’t happen to me.

I pulled off I-95 about 50 miles outside of Fayetteville to fill up the gas tank. I found the crappiest gas station I could, not on purpose, but it usually just happens that way when I am not familiar with the area. At least this one had pay-at-the-pump. I hate when I have to go inside and pay. I guess it didn’t matter this time because I was thirsty and needed to run in anyway. That is where the problem started

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Telemarketers, WTF?

May 23rd 2007 21:50

I'm not even making this up. Last year I got a call from an AT&T representative asking me to switch to their long distance or something like that. I didn't let him finish, but I politely said "No thank you, I'm not interested." Even in saying that, I think I was more polite than most people who get these types of calls.

He kept on going, rambling about this and that. Once again I stated I wasn't interested. As a side note, the only reason I picked up the call is because for the two weeks prior, at the same time every day, the phone would ring with the same number on the caller ID. I figured it must be important to call me every day for two weeks (not really

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Crosswalk Etiquette

May 23rd 2007 20:22

It is accepted, at least by most “sane” drivers, that a pedestrian has the right of way when in a crosswalk. But, that does not mean the pedestrian can fuck off while walking across the street! There is a certain etiquette required when crossing a street. I guess I kind of made the following up, but anyone I talk to about it agrees.

I love being a kind motorist and stopping for people to cross the street, especially in a congested store parking lot or something similar. Most normal people will acknowledge the favor and do a little foot shuffle or a wave saying “Thank you for stopping.” That’s all I need. But if I stop for someone and they give an attitude like “Yeah, you better stop!” it makes me want to mash the gas! Or the classic “I’m gonna walk slower now and hold you up” bullshit

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New Shape? Hah!

May 23rd 2007 01:55

I was walking through the cereal aisle at the grocery store the other day and noticed a box of Trix cereal. A small wave of joy rushed over me when I saw the small round puff balls were back! “Look Amy! Puff balls!” Why was I so excited? Manufacturers are always messing up a good thing, especially when it comes to food. I can rant for about a half-hour straight about stuff that used to be better, back when I was a kid.

In the early ‘80s, Trix were round puff balls. They only had three colors (orange, yellow, and purple I think). Then they went to hard little fruit shapes that cut the shit out of the roof of your mouth. I guess they finally figured out the shapes suck and went back to the puff balls. I bet they thought I wouldn’t remember when they advertised the “new” shape on the box

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Hmmm

May 21st 2007 21:26

Sometimes a picture just makes me scratch my head...for a little longer than I probably should. Here's an example.

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Would You Pay For Silence?

May 21st 2007 21:04

I had an interesting idea last week. It came to me when Mr. Life Story uttered one of the phrases I can't stand. "Why is it so quiet in here?" I loath those words. They make me cringe.

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Chick-fil-A

May 21st 2007 14:20

Chick-fil-A has come a long way since I first ate there in the late '80s. I remember one was tucked into the food court at the local mall I used to visit in Scottsdale, AZ. But that's about all I remember. It blended in with all of the other small restaurants.

Now Chick-fil-A has freestanding restaurants in over 38 states and are kicking ass. Every time I go to the one where I live now, it is packed. The drive-thru line is LONG. The line inside is worse. With all of those people, you would think it would take the "fast" out of Chick-fil-A's fast food. Absolutely not

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Mr. Life Story

May 17th 2007 16:20

I've been very annoyed for the last week, and I think I figured out why. For the last few days I've been in a class for work so I can be certified as a client support administrator. The military has certifications for everything!

Anyway, the guy that sits next to me in this class loves to hear himself talk. I call him "Mr. Life Story." I know all of you have been in the same type of situation, where you utter a few words to someone and they wont stop talking back. But this guy is a little different. This guy talks without prompting. I can be sitting at the computer, minding my own business, and he just starts talking...about whatever that comes to his mind. The first day I learned that he likes to golf, bowl, what's on his bowling ball, what basketball teams he likes, what he eats in the morning, how long it takes him to get to work, the last movie he watched, what he eats when he goes golfing, etc. Today he gave me the whole play by play of some movie, gave me all the news headlines, and told me what he was hungry for, which was a hot dog and A&W root beer

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Customer Satisfaction

May 15th 2007 18:05

"There is a very strong correlation between treating your customers well and doing well financially..."

That is a quote from an article I read today on MarketWatch.com, and I completely agree. The entire article can be found here: Can't get that much satisfaction
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Skip the Line

May 14th 2007 22:50

I love automation. It lets me skip the sub-par customer service experience I usually receive! Just kidding. However, it is great to be able to breeze through normal transactions, like the automated checkout at some grocery stores or the ticket kiosks at airports.

Well, I don't know how new this is, but I love it! I'm talking about the automatic ticket kiosk that is at the AMC theater near my house. The only reason I'm really talking about it is because most people don't seem to know it's there. It's not uncommon for me to go on a Saturday night and totally bypass the long lines to find no one at the ticket kiosk. It's great, just pick the movie, number of tickets, slide the credit card, and it prints the tickets for you. It can't be much simpler than that. So, if you're a movie goer and your local theater has one, give it a try.

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Can I Do Your Job?

May 14th 2007 21:28

I think I'm a poor customer service magnet, at least I hope so. I would hate for everyone to have to put up with the stuff I do every time I go out.

I went to Chuck E. Cheese's this weekend for Amy's niece's birthday party. It has been years since I've been there, probably about fifteen. I don't think much has changed, although it seemed smaller. I guess that's always the case when you grow up. Everything seems so big when you're a little tyke. The ball pit was no longer there, because I guess now days it's unsanitary. They no longer had the big dancing automaton band. They are now down to just one mechanical Chuck. Those probably broke all the time, so I guess that was good cost saving on the company's part

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Check the Attitude at the Door

May 11th 2007 21:39

We all have bad days. We wouldn't be human without them. But the sign of a true professional is to know when to show your emotions and when to check them at the door. This is particularly true in a customer service environment. No customer wants to be greeted with a scowl. No customer wants to hear how bad your day was, or how busy you've been.

I went out to dinner with my girlfriend Amy and her family about a month ago. We went to Denny's for a late-night breakfast. Now, I know Denny's isn't world renowned for their cheery and helpful service, but in this situation it would have been easy to make a happy customer

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Sprint Sucks

May 10th 2007 15:34

Here's a tip. Think twice about opting to only receive your bill online. I don't know if it's the same way with other companies, but Sprint has a problem with their system.

I always paid my Sprint PCS cell phone bill online, and the way I logged in was with my cell phone number and password. When I decided last December to switch cell phone carriers, I took my existing phone number with me. Well, the way Sprint's system works, as soon as you switch carriers with your existing cell phone number, it drops from their system

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Bad Service? Now What?

May 9th 2007 19:15

This article posted on The Motley Fool has some great suggestions for dealing with a poor customer service experience. It's worth a read, and doing the research on companies before dealing with them my save a lot of time and grief.

Right Customer Service Wrongs

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It's Called a Uniform for a Reason

May 9th 2007 15:03

I went to my local Jason's Deli the other day and noticed a particular worker. This kid had his uniform hat on all sideways like he was back on his block. If I was the manager/supervisor I would fire his ass immediately

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Stupid People = Stupid Customers

May 8th 2007 01:47

Sometimes a business can have the best customer service but still receive complaints. These are the stupid customers. The world is full of stupid people, and unfortunately, they don't get any smarter when it's time to shop. I am a huge advocate of great customer service, but I never have agreed with the saying "The customer is always right." No, they're not.

My girlfriend Amy told me a great story about a customer who came in to her store. In this instance, the patron was paying with a debit card and wanted cash back. $20 worth. Well, the computer system only allows $5 or $10. It says so right on the customer's touch screen (you know, the one where you enter your debit card pin number). The cashier explained to the guy that $20 cash back wasn't possible. This is where it gets funny. The guy starts screaming "racism" and that since he's black he can't get his $20. After politely explaining to the customer that the system will not allow $20 back, and 10 minutes of him not calming down, the police were finally called

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What Was Your Name Again?

May 3rd 2007 00:17

Have you ever met someone and forgot their name immediately after they said it? How embarrassing is it to have to ask, "What was your name again?" only a short time later? It sucks, and it makes the person feel unimportant.

So what would make a customer feel better than if you took the time to remember their name? It shows you actually care about them. It shows you take an interest in them, and if you take an interest in them, it usually means you want to provide them with the best service possible. They know this

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I'm Sorry Pt. 2

May 2nd 2007 02:14

I just found this article that completely goes along with my "I'm Sorry" post.

Here's an excerpt

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Customer Service Debate

May 2nd 2007 02:04

This discussion is great! I am all for the "Con" section.

"Treating a customer well is the foundation for any successful business enterprise, regardless of the product or service sold. Big retailers spend huge sums to improve the shopping experience and it’s not just to be nice: A quality customer experience translates to higher sales

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I'm Sorry

May 1st 2007 23:50

My first job was at Staples, an office supply store. This is where I got my first taste of customer service and how important quality service actually is. I can remember one time I told a customer I was sorry for something, probably not having a product in stock or something along those lines. He replied "Don't say sorry! Saying sorry is a sign of weakness."

That is complete B.S.! A simple apology goes a long way in the customer service world. I'm sure you all can remember a time when you had a problem with a product or service, and the associate never even offered an apology for your wasted time and effort to rectify the problem. How did that make you feel? Did you feel like your time wasn't important? Did you feel like the business could care less about your needs even though you were the one making the company money

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The Lost Art of Listening

May 1st 2007 23:35

One of the key ingredients of customer service is listening to the needs of your customer. I mean actually listening. For example, when I am at a drive-thru of say a McDonald’s or Wendy’s and I order chicken nuggets, I am usually asked what kind of dipping sauce I would like. If the person at the window asks a question like that, I would think they would want to hear the answer. But more often than not, I get home with no sauce in the bag. Maybe it’s my fault for not checking before I leave, but I don’t get paid to do their job. That is not listening to the needs of the customer.

The same goes for checking out at the grocery store, you know, when they ask if you want paper or plastic bags. I am usually asked that same question two or three times before my stuff is bagged

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Nice Blinker @$#%!

May 1st 2007 23:25

If a day goes by where I don’t say to myself, “Nice blinker @$#%!”, I am amazed! And I only drive for a total of 15 minutes a day! What I can’t figure out is even though we all take a similar test to receive a driver’s license, and every one of them teaches us how to use a blinker, then why do the majority of drivers never use them? Is it that much of a hassle? The last time I checked, blinkers were not on the options list next to the power windows and navigation system when purchasing a car. We all have them. Why not use them?

I was sitting at a stop light last week watching cars in the right-hand turn lane next to me. Only one out of the ten cars I saw used their blinker. Of those who didn’t was a police officer, which gave me a chuckle. I mean, if the cops don’t use theirs, why should anyone else

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Jobs are useless

May 1st 2007 23:23

Here's one of my favorite articles written by Steve Pavlina. He writes a great blog on personal development, which goes hand-in-hand with developing better customer service skills.

10 reasons you should never get a job

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Make Yourself at Home

May 1st 2007 23:15

There’s a great pizzeria near my house called Andrea’s Pizza. It’s a little hole-in-the-wall joint that no one ever seems to know about when I describe it. I’m not even sure how I found it. The point is, I always take new people there. When family comes to visit, I always suggest Andrea’s. When I meet someone from this area who hasn’t dined there, I bring them. Why? Of course the food is great, that’s the main reason…but their customer service is outstanding!

The first time I went there, I was greeted warmly. After a few visits, I would walk in the door and they would have my drink already on the table waiting for me, even if I hadn’t been there for some time. It feels like home. Every time I leave, they make sure the food/service was to my liking and fix it if it wasn’t (they’ve never had to fix anything). And even though I go there all the time, each and every one of those visits they have thanked me for my service to the country (I am military, and the fact that this area is swarming with service men and women makes it even better that they take the time to acknowledge my part

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Building Loyalty: Southwest Airlines Style

May 1st 2007 02:04

BusinessWeek recently published a great article about how Southwest Airlines turned a typical airline delay into a loyalty building experience for its customers. On this particular flight, the aircraft was being pushed from the gate when the passengers were told the plane would have to de-ice causing a two and a half hour delay. If that wasn't bad enough, the pilot had reached his maximum hour limit set by the FAA, so a new pilot would have to replace him. After all that, the plane then had to be de-iced again because of the original delay!

The entire article can be found here: Customer Service Champs
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What makes a loyal customer?

May 1st 2007 01:30

We've all, at one time, been on the receiving end of some down-right awful customer service. I bet most of you can still remember that time. Maybe you even told all your friends about your terrible experience. Did you ever go back to that establishment? Did you use the company's services again? Would you ever be a loyal customer of that place?

The answer is probably a resounding "no". Even if you did return, I bet you always remembered the bad time and were looking for the same experience again. Making a first time customer a loyal one doesn't take rocket science. It's very simple. You have to actually appreciate the customer's business. Under stand that one happy customer is worth five new ones

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