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by Patricia Fripp, CSP, CPAE
You're
already aware, I hope, that each and every employee of your
company is a "customer service representative," no matter
what the job description says. Read this terrific customer-service
story, and then consider the two questions at the end.
"I ordered a child's learning laptop computer for my daughter
Mallory for Christmas through Amazon.com," says Susan Barnes,
a payroll manager at MarchFIRST in Chicago. "Shortly after
Christmas, we discovered that the laptop had a defect. I
contacted Amazon, and the customer service was amazing.
The young man I dealt with, Brian, was incredible. They
did not have any in stock, nor did anyone else because the
laptop was a hot item.
"Brian offered to credit my credit card immediately and
send me a postage-paid container to return the damaged computer.
I explained that this was all my daughter had asked Santa
for, and she would be devastated if we just returned it.
Brian gave me the option of waiting to see if they would
be able to get another one. However, he warned that the
distributor, VTech, predicted it could be three months before
a new one would be available. For the sake of my daughter's
happiness, I said I was willing to wait.
"Brian gave me a phone number where I could reach him
and said I could change my mind at anytime. In the meantime,
he would contact me immediately if one became available.
"Two days later, Brian emailed that he had located a new
laptop for Mallory. It would be shipped within a few days,
along with a postage-paid container to return the damaged
one. I was so surprised and impressed with Brian and his
great customer-care skills that I emailed him, commending
his great skills and asking that my e-mail be forwarded
to his manager. Later, his manager confirmed my message.
The moral of this story is: There IS a Santa Claus!"
YOUR TWO QUESTIONS:
1. Do you motivate and empower your employees to provide
top customer service like this?
2. Could you pose this customer's problem as an interview
question, asking potential hires how they would handle it?
(360 words ) |
