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customer service

Customer Service: The X Factor

by Jen Kuhn on August 22, 2011

Revolve your world around the customer and more customers will revolve around you. ~Heather Williams

There are 6 levels of customer service:

  1. Poor
  2. Service Recovery
  3. Neutral
  4. Good
  5. Excellent
  6. The X Factor

Let’s talk about Levels 5 and 6.

As consumers, when an employee does their job well, we typically consider that excellent and exceptional.  The Experience Factor says, “Raise your standards!”

Excellent service is a bit rare, like spotting a Northern Hairy-Nosed Wombat.  It occurs when you, the customer, experience a level of service that is not only exceptional, it’s unexpected, welcomed and memorable.

The X Factor is when a business or employee delivers a level of service that leaves the consumer in awe.  The X Factor is when a business or employee makes a conscious effort to exceed your expectations, provide a personalized experience and excel at every touch point.  It’s about a 1% difference between excellent and X Factor.  It’s an employee mindset: always looking for ways to take it up a notch, to make the difference.  The X Factor is the rarest of service experiences.

Ask our clients: we are educated consumers who have high standards. It’s our job to educate our clients in order to take their service to the X Factor level (that’s level 6! I haven’t even achieved that level with Angry Birds!).

When was the last time you experienced X Factor service? Was it really the X Factor, or was it just a “given”?  Throw some examples at us!  And what about your business…do you have the X Factor?  We will give you our opinion.  And remember, we can agree to disagree, as long as you know we’re right!

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You’re So Vain, You Probably Think This Blog Is About You

by Jen Kuhn on June 30, 2011

Ever wonder if you’re crazy? Well, let me clear that up for you…you’re special.  Some of us are just a little more special than others.  Like one of our vendors. He’s so extra special he’s like a special extravaganza; a special-ganza if you will.

Recently, we received a few emails from him (our web-host-vendor-guy) warning us about potential problems with our website due to hackers and phishers. Thank you for the warnings. Great service.

Having received 2 warning emails in a short period of time, I was concerned. So here’s how it played out in our final email exchange:

ME: Has your hosting site been hacked? Yikes.

HIM: No- my hosting site has not been hacked-

This is a scam- that’s sent from another IP- that someone gullible might click.

I got the email- and thought that I should warn some of my unsophisticated clients that it is a scam.

Call me sensitive, but seriously? That’s your final answer?  This is how I read that response:

Don’t question the integrity of my site- I couldn’t care less about your concerns. You’re gullible and unsophisticated and I bet you’re wondering what an IP is… Consider yourself served.

I may be gullible and unsophisticated when discussing technically-ish stuff, but there’s no need to POINT IT OUT.  Social Skills 101. Please people, read the memo.

Our web-host-vendor-guy is talented, smart and runs a decent business.  Yet this response does not reek of an I-want-your-business attitude.  It just reeks.  If we called our clients gullible or unsophisticated, even once, we wouldn’t have clients.

Email can be an effective form of communication without smiley faces and dancing cats.  Just consider basic email etiquette that goes hand in hand with basic social skills.

When getting ready to fire off a communication via email, ask yourself 3 questions:

1.     Is this email clear and succinct without any jackassery?

2.     How might this (intelligent, witty, yet sensitive) person interpret this email?

3.     Is this person immature enough to tweet or write a blog about this email?

If you can answer these questions and still push the send button with arrogance, err, confidence, then fire away.  Otherwise: revise, reconsider and read the memo.  That is all.



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Customer Service Wake Up Call

by Jen Kuhn on September 24, 2010

There are certain expectations consumers have of businesses.  They are just a given, with no questions asked.  For example, when you eat at a restaurant you expect that you will not get food poisoning.  When you take your clothes to the dry cleaner, you expect they will not lose them or give them to another customer.  When you fly on an airline, you expect that you will arrive at your destination (eventually).  These are basic consumer expectations that most reasonable people do not question.

I recently stayed at a hotel (The Crowne Plaza) while visiting a client.  As I unpacked my clothes and continued preparing for the presentation I would be delivering, I noticed a sign on the nightstand.  It stated, “If we do not provide your wake up call at the requested time, your stay is free!”  The small print stated that taxes and room charges still applied.

On the surface, this sign seemed like a reasonable deal.  However, as I began to get ready for bed, the sign became menacing.  What compelled them to make this offer?  How many times did they forget to provide a wake up call that required them to spend money and time marketing this promise?  What were the consequences to the guests who had overslept as a result of the hotel forgetting to give them a wake up call?  Did someone miss an important meeting, a big event or a job interview????

The seed had been planted.  I was now concerned that they would not fulfill the basic expectations of staying at their hotel: a simple wake up call.  They may as well had signs stating: “If there is no running water in the morning, breakfast is on us!”; “If we call and awaken you in the middle of the night, we will apologize profusely!”; “If you get bed bugs as a result of sleeping here, you’re gonna hate us!”  Ya’ think?

Businesses beware! When you have to promise to deliver basic expectations, you may want to take a closer look at the customer experience you’re creating.  If I expect it, don’t promise to do it: get it done.

Would you like to give a business a wake up call?  We’d love to hear your thoughts.

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Take It To Twitter

by Kelly Ketelboeter on August 11, 2010

I am one who believes in the power of feedback.  Whether its positive or negative, it is a gift.  It is an opportunity to grow and to learn.  A chance to refine skills and build knowledge.  That’s why I am always shocked when companies ignore, dismiss or make excuses when a customer provides valuable feedback and insight.

A few weeks ago my niece was visiting from Texas.  Of course it isn’t a trip to Chicago without touring as much of our fabulous city as you can.  As we were strolling down State Street we were hit with the wonderful aroma of freshly popped popcorn.  It smelled so good we could practically taste it.  It didn’t take long for us to find the source of the smell as we ran right into Garrett Popcorn on Randolph and State.  The line was out the door.  Which isn’t surprising because Garrett Popcorn is a Chicago tradition that spans 60 years.  Being the popcorn connoisseur that I am, I convinced my niece that this popcorn was worth the wait.  So we waited.  And waited. And waited. All while being teased by the aroma of freshly popped popcorn.   We placed our order for the buttery popcorn and were told they had to make a new batch.  A new batch? I was thrilled that we were going to get a fresh new batch of buttery popcorn!  After waiting some more amid the craziness of the store we finally got our popcorn.  We made our way to the Metra station to head home and couldn’t wait to sit down and devour our popcorn.

We found our seat on the train and I prepared my niece for the ultimate popcorn experience.  We opened the bag, took a handful and shoved it in our mouths.  I couldn’t believe what I was tasting.  It was the worst popcorn I have ever had.  I think they lost control of the salt shaker or something because the popcorn was so salty our lips and eyes were burning.  My niece questioned my credibility and my popcorn connoisseur status.  She couldn’t believe I thought that this was the best popcorn in Chicago.  And for that matter, neither could I.  We were disappointed to say the least.

When we got home I decided I wasn’t going to simply throw away our popcorn, maybe the saltiness would subside after a few hours.  Hey a girl can dream!  But no, it still tasted like complete garbage.  Since we were now back home in the suburbs there wasn’t much we could do.  Our dreams of popcorn had been crushed.  So I took action.  I got on-line and found the phone number for Garrett Popcorn and placed a call to their customer service line.  I felt the company had a right to know about our experience.  I personally have made a commitment to make the invisible, visible.  And that wasn’t going to happen if I didn’t speak up.

I was greeted with a less than enthusiastic hello from a customer service rep in the call center at Garrett Popcorn.  I told her my problem and expressed my extreme disappointment.  She took my name and my phone number and that was it.  I had to ask, “what’s going to happen next?”  She told me someone would get back to me.  Three days later I hadn’t heard a word from Garrett Popcorn and I was really frustrated.  So I decided to test their customer service using a different venue.  I took it twitter.  Here was my tweet:

Had the WORST buttery popcorn from @garrettpopcorn Called comp, didn’t get an apology, was told someone would call, still waiting #fail

Within 2 hours I received a Tweet from Michelle who handles the Twitter account for Garrett Popcorn.  She also called me, sent me a direct message on Twitter and sent an email.  Talk about a fast response and covering all the bases.  I spoke with Michelle and shared all the invisible factors during our experience with the hope of making these factors visible to management.  After all Garrett Popcorn prides themselves on having the freshest, most delicious popcorn.  In fact right on their website it says that customer satisfaction remains their highest priority.  Really?  Someone might want to let that customer service rep in the call center in on that secret.  I certainly didn’t feel like it was a priority at all let alone their highest priority.

I am happy to say that Michelle at Garrett Popcorn addressed my concerns, apologized, empathized and offered a solution.  Within 24 hours I had a huge tin of buttery popcorn delivered to my home.  I was hesitant to take the first bite after my last experience.  But that didn’t last for long!  This was the buttery popcorn I had bragged about to my niece.  This was the buttery popcorn that Garrett is known for.  This was the 60 year Chicago tradition I was trying to share with my niece.  After all is said and done, Garrett came through for me.  Or should I say, Michelle at Garrett came through for me.  You see, it’s the people of an organization that make an organization great even when the product fails to deliver.  So thank you to Michelle for responding to my tweet and for turning around the experience I had at Garrett Popcorn.  I hope I was able to help Garrett Popcorn see what is visible to their customers but yet invisible to management.

Bottom Line:  Take the time to provide feedback.  It’s the only way we can make the invisible, visible.  And if you don’t get a response, well…take it to Twitter!

What experiences have you had with companies on Twitter?  What experiences have you had with a company when you provided feedback with the hope to make the invisible, visible?

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The Invisible Consumer

by Kelly Ketelboeter on August 2, 2010

Have you ever felt ignored, unimportant, annoyed, upset, disenchanted or as if you were a bother as a customer, patient, parent or student?  Where your are basically…invisible?

The state of service today is disgusting to say the least. The latest research shows that only 4% of people will take the time to provide organizations with feedback.  Why you ask?  Because we don’t think it will make a difference.  Because we feel…invisible.   The other 96% of us will tell as many people as we can about our experience with your organization.  And just in case that isn’t enough 59% of us turn to Yelp! or other social media sites to vent.  You can include me in that percentage.

If your organization serves anyone, anything, then let this poem serve as a wake-up call.

Remember Me?
Author Unknown

I’m the person who asks:
“How long is the wait?”
You tell me ten minutes…
but it gets very late

I’m the person who sees:
The whole staff loiters
While my waitress does everything
But take my order.

I’m the person who says:
“That’s not what I ordered…but it’s O.K.
I’ll eat it anyway.”

I’m the person who calls:
To see if my lost item was found
And all I get is a run-around.

I’m the person who leaves:
With a slight frown
Cause the hostess is no where to be found.

I’m the person who should:
Write a negative letter
But feel it wouldn’t make anything better.

Yes, you might say that I’m a good guy…
That I understand that you kind of try.
But, please read on and you will see…
That there’s another side of me.

I’m the person who
Never comes back
Because of something you tend to lack.

It amuses me to see you spending
Thousands of dollars on ads never ending
In an effort to get me back into your place
When you hardly even remember my face.

In order to keep me as a guest
I have but one simple little request…
When I am here all you have to do
Is give me the service I’m entitled to.

Each and every time a consumer comes in contact with your organization they have an experience.  What that experience is and how it plays out is up to your organization and your employees.  Realize that your organization has the power to drive your consumers in or drive them out based on their experience.  Their experience will generate either positive or negative word of mouth.  Their experience will increase their trust in your organization and employees or it will destroy it.  Ask yourself, from the moment my consumers come in contact with our organization what’s their experience like?  Would you do business with you?

Inexperience in serving your customers and failing to harness the power of your employees to influence the experience is expensive.  Our goal is to highlight the invisible factors that many organizations aren’t aware of, choose to ignore or just don’t think are that important.  It’s time to make the invisible, visible and create an extraordinary experience.

We would love to hear your experiences.  Tell us about a time when you felt invisible.  What organization’s need our help making the invisible, visible?

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The Apple iPhone 4 has a Death Grip on YOU

by Jen Kuhn on July 14, 2010

If you own an Apple iPhone 4, I give you my condolences.  Right now, Apple has you in a consumer death grip.  The problem as you know, is that the antennae on the phone causes dropped calls when the user holds the phone a certain way (umm, the way you hold a phone in order to speak).  And you know Steve Job’s solution: “Just avoid holding it that way.”  Another solution offered has been for you, the consumer, to purchase a case from Apple that prevents the dropped calls. Wow. What a concept. I’ll give you a faulty product so you can purchase more of my products to fix my mistake. Genius I tell ya’. OR, you could use duct tape. Cuh-lassy. OR, Apple could recall a product that they spent more time hyping than researching.

Is it too much to ask for no glitches in a product that millions of people purchased?  I don’t think so.  When Apple creates hype that is surreal, I expect the same from the product.  What do you think, Consumer?

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