Engaged Employees = Engaged Customers
I’m baffled as to why this is so difficult for companies (of all sizes) to understand. Mike Sansone gives a great personal example of how this “fluff” stuff works. A little old-fashioned caring goes a very long way.
In my case, it would have been very simple for Comcast to keep my business. The service rep could have said something like, “Wow! Well, that was really stupid of us. That must have been awful for you. Here’s what I can do for you - I’m giving you a free month of service and the special ‘new customer’ Internet rate for another six months.” Then, that hand-signed note from the CEO’s office telling me how much they appreciate my business and “sorry for the inconvenience” would have been appropriate and appreciated. As it is, the card just made me laugh, particularly since it arrived after I cancelled all services.
When it comes to people, passion isn’t “fluff” or marketing speak - it’s what moves us to go above and beyond, as both employees and customers. So, the next time you hear someone say, “But that’s not our policy” or “It’s not business-like” beg to differ. Who knows? You might end up with customers like Mike, who is so engaged he considers himself married to Panera bread, to the extent of working for free for them on a bad day.
Related Posts:
CEOs Are Walking the Wrong Street
Home Depot’s Real Problem
Read More: Thought for the Day: What would you do? (From Customers Are Always. If you’re responsible for customer service (and shouldn’t we all be?) - this should be on your “go to” read list or RSS feed.)
Tags: business development, customer service, Comcast, marketing, marketing troubleshooting
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September 8th, 2006 at 11:19 pm
Mary, I found you and your blog by way of Mike Sansone and am impressed by what I have read so far. Your insights about, as you put it, “a little old-fashioned caring,” hit home for me after a recent email exchange with the customer service department at Dell.
After purchasing my third Dell computer, I wrote to ask for information about an accessory product. A simple “this is what is available to remedy the monitor glare problem” is all I wanted. Instead, the email exchange that followed referring me here and there would have tested Mother Teresa’s patience. Suffice it to say they never answered my question, but they did repeatedly tell me how much they value me as a customer and what a privilege it is to serve me.
My previously positive experience of the Dell brand was completely–and needlessly–destroyed by this careless interaction. I, too, am baffled by this kind of behavior.
September 11th, 2006 at 7:15 am
Susan,
Thanks for dropping by. Yes, it’s truly sad that companies destroy the very relationships upon which their survival depends. They become so focused on reducing costs, streamlining processes and increasing profitability - they forget the critical part of the equation - the people.
Based on what I’m reading - Dell may be entering that long slide into oblivion. Can’t happen? Remember DEC? Compaq? (sure Compaq was purchased by HP - which hasn’t exactly been setting the computer world on fire of late.) Then there are all the routerm networking companies that are no longer. The tech landscape is littered with the bones of big bad boys who thought it couldn’t happen to them.
November 30th, 2006 at 8:44 am
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