Peter Illman
SK Henderson
Customer Service
…
A subject of great debate – good customer
service, bad customer service, exceptional customer service! What is Customer
Service? We have all experienced good, bad, and exceptional customer service! Bad
customer service usually means you will not return unless you have no choice.
Great customer service means you return and continue to support this
organisation.
Just today I listened to a talk back debate
around the generally poor level of retail customer service in New Zealand
Great Customer Service is about ‘going the
extra mile’ for your customers – what does this mean?
A recent example of great customer service
that I experienced was when my bathroom tap came loose – the custom clamp that
holds the water hoses together and clamps the tap to the basin had broken – the
first 2 plumbing merchants I visited did not stock this brand, and were not
interested. Why should they be interested? I would probably never return, and
never need taps again in my life? The third merchant did not stock the brand
either – in fact nobody stocked the brand! But the Customer Service Consultant
was determined to help – he found a similar clamp in his spares drawer, and
then to make it work sold me a $5 packet of washers. “It may not work, but its
worth a try” Well it did work, even though it was mission impossible to get
ones hands up under and behind the basin! Of course, next time I want plumbing
/ bathroom products I will immediately know where to go!
Why? Because they solved my problem and
were willing and happy to spend some time to do it!
And to illustrate that great Customer
Service does exist I have one more example;
Recently I needed a puncture repaired. Yes,
I got pulled in by a clever advertisement offering to do this for free. I
thought, maybe a gimmick but worth a try? I arrived on a Saturday 15 minutes
before closing time – within minutes my tyre was repaired……but even though they
were getting ready to close, all my tyres were checked and inflated to the
correct pressure, along with advice re tyre wear, my windscreens were cleaned
and my tyres all painted! I will of course return to purchase tyres when I need
them, not because the puncture repair was no charge, but because of the great customer
service and easy environment they provided!
(not to mention the trouble I went through
last time I needed some tyres!)
It goes without saying that businesses who
are genuinely interested in providing great Customer Service are the ones we
all wish to deal with!