From Frankenstein to customers with smiles

One of the ways you can get a better reaction from an upset or unreasonable customer is to smile, When you smile it can and is translated over the phone. When I answer I always ask, “how are you today?” They in turn out of courtesy ask how are you? I replay in general “Just right” which is to say I am the best that I am no matter how I feel because the powers that be will me that way. I am always just right. This takes some back and gives the smile half a chance. When I then smile (sometimes explaining what I meant) they lighten up. I may have explained this before but it is worth repeating.
If we are all serious and not in a receptive mood they are less likely to open up with the details of a problem. If we treat them the way they want to treat us we will all be out of a job. They have the right to be upset. We have the duty to offset that feeling. I am pleased to announce most of the time it works.
With those who don’t react to the smile? I suggest reason, Tact and possibly a good laxative. Because if they are sour to you after all that? they are that way to everyone. We have only one chance to make the first impression. We have a lifetime to pay for a bad one. I HAVE PISSED OFF SOME OF THE BEST!
BUT, I have made welcome some of the hardest to please.
Can we make customers get better service? When they call and wait for a solution, do you really have the time to look at the issue? Weather you want to or not you should. If it will be long and protracted I would say let me look this over and call you right back to let you know what I found. If you work on their schedule they like that. Only the really Died in the wool Hardnose will insist on waiting for you to track a long protracted issue down (there are a few of those around but not many).
Can we build a better customer? Yes we can. By giving enough vent time, by being polite and giving alternatives when faced with how it can be done. Always be a point of authority (expert in your field)
But most of all listen. Most of the time they have a question the answer is within that question.
There is never a stupid question, They are not illiterate (some say that they are) I tell them we know they are not and just haven’t been informed of the nuances of the program yet. This is a big help to those who struggle.
Here is a checklist
Let the customer help you provide the best possible service
Teach them how to get it by letting them know when is the best time to call (Don’t make them rehash a problem until they get mad) and what to describe when the get that error.
If you smile they smile back and if you are polite they in turn will be too (a common courtesy) Treat them like you would your parents. This will make it a lot easier to get the work done.
Explain how we do things. (We do not have the best system of getting the work done but we are making adjustments all the time.) If they don’t understand how we get it done they become confused and frustrated at best and angry at the very worst. Once they understand that we have a method of getting things don and that those methods work. The better they will think of us and the process works for them too.

For more read Customers for life by Carl Sewll

And The Walls Came Tumbling Down…

Here is more on the experience of the customer and the Fire.
I received an IM from my wife yesterday asking if I was ok? Why do you ask I replied? They didn’t call you?
No, Who? The restoration People?
The back wall of my Garage caved in.

Last week we got the go ahead to tear down the roof and start rebuilding, I was so pleased. I got the check from the insurance and passed it to the contractor The day before we started to demolish the garage.
My wife’s IM was just the start. I got home and found everything in my side yard, Grass torn up and a car on the lawn sheds and continence strewn all over. It looks worse now then the day after the fire!
The back wall was torn about half way down and the roof was gone. As they tried to calm me down they said we can rebuild with wood, or try to fix it but we need engineers to help out (more money to be spent) and determine the best possible route. Well al new brick would cost $9,000 plus Labor the wood and labor 19,000 Just what they gave me!
I have a Brick Mason in the family! He is out of work right now and is going over the situation.
I am finding out I am not the best of customers I really get upset when things go wrong and insist that it works out for everyone when it works.
Now I have to remember that when my customers call. I have to be in the restoration business. Resurrecting the spirit of my customer when it goes wrong so I can see where the actual issue lies.
Todd and Jim did exactly that. They let me vent for a moment, Punch their Dump Truck and then gave me the options for repair.
We do the same thing everyday with almost every call. We are good at being the provider. But how are we as customers ourselves? I find that knowing what to expect from a provider from the beginning has it’s advantages but also pitfalls as well. Setting expectations is a tricky business. Make them small goals, What do you hope to accomplish? How will we do it? And in the long run how much time will it take.
The Scenario was played out at a company meeting The story goes like this. I took my car to the shop and left it. I called each day to check “Oh it in the shop for Diagnostics” That went on for a few days. He went to the shop and found the car had not been moved.
He took the car and placed a few calls to other shops. And got this response from the one he chose."The appointment will be Wednesday and we will acess the car and report back to you! They did and the repair would cost this much and take this long. The part can be ordered today and will be in ,in a week.
You can still Use your call until then. He knew how much it was to cost, how long the job would take and didn’t need to rely on someone else for transportation.
This is how I ran my shop, before it was like the other one. There is a big difference in working towards
An objective and just passing the customer off.
I work hard at what I do, I work with my customers as a team. We have this symbiotic relationship. They need me as much as I need them. I need them to teach me how to be a better customer.

By the way my hand still hurts. Dump Trucks are Hard!

What do you do with a Drunken Sailor?

Well, As you might have guessed my foray into the world of Customer/victim has continued. The company that is handling the damage assessment and inventory called the other day and lit my fire (funny huh?) about the adjuster that came to my house. Seems he will no longer be working for them and has been “missing in Action” for some time now, With all of my paperwork. It turns out I am not the only one he was not answering on the phone for the last 3 weeks. His manager explained “he had (has) Issues” and will no longer represent the company.
FIRE STORM INSUES!
I called my insurance company (adjuster who called this company to do their bidding) and raved on! I blindsided the poor guy with insults (I do not feel bad) and exclaimed how poorly this has been handled from the start. I got better service from the red cross when they put us up for the night* (Note to Self: Make a donation and not only blood)
The adjuster said “I am not responsible for the actions taken by that company or their employees” Ah Ha!
I told them if I contract someone to investigate for me then I am responsible for anything they find and say to me as I am working for and representing them in this situation. By all means he is your responsibility after you hired him.
If one of my staff were to tell a customer a lie, delay a fix or otherwise sabotage a case they would be fired, I would catch hell for it, my manager would get in trouble and the company would fly someone out to that location to kiss some serious butt! Stuff rolls down hill! So there, you see you are responsible “you jerk”
So it went on like this for about half an hour then again with his manager.
I got lots of calls back promising they would do better (sound familiar)? Yes and I told them Losers always whine about doing better.
The company sent me the manager and a new adjuster just to take a look at an empty garage. How can we take the inventory Mr. Gilmore? Every thing is gone? Our conversation was short then we agreed that the list would have to stand on it’s own and they want this resolved as soon as” humanly possible” in essence they said:
GET ME OUTTA HERE!!!
A few days later a call came in from company 2s manager. “Well we will have your inventory list on Wednesday and be able to go over it with you and the insurance company as well” That didn’t last long. I was called by the insurance company and we went over the list (some thing were duplicated as the “other adjuster (no longer working adjuster) went over everything with me a week ago” then took my original list with him. They said go back over the list and resubmit!
Now the ball is in my court ….. again

Now you are asking what does this have to do with drunken sailors?
There is a lesson in here. I was upset and I made comments I cannot relate here. I blamed all the right people for things that should have been controlled by the supervising company. I am the customer and shouldn’t be in the position of making everybody get on the same page. But I did.
When a customer is upset we tend to pass them off, We do not hear the complaint over the complaining.
THEY ARE ONE AND THE SAME. To be blunt we have to fix the person then address the problem in that order. The two companies here did not communicate with me. They chose to let things pile up and it blew up in their faces. I think I have explained my first experience with the insurance company, so fast and thorough. Professional, all the way. The same players with the exception of company number two.
And let them know this had been no picnic. I also insulted their professionalism. I should know better (pride being what it is and all).
Do all you can for your client. Do all you can for the product and you will find the company will do all it can for you in return. Never let a customer be a bother or left feeling out of the loop.
I ranted and raved and carried on so I embarrassed myself. Drunk with anger I was the “Drunken Sailor”
Thinking back I was right and will exit the policy and be with another company next year. That is the best I can do.
A little wiser for the experience of being a customer with a really big hangover!

Red is Dead (*sniff)

It is with a heavy heart that I report that Big Red Beta test7” has gone to that big fishbowl in the sky.
What can I say about “O’le Red”? He was a giant among fish. He was an inspiration, to us all. He lived on various desks and was love by all that new him.
He leave behind the support department, and was preceded in death by countless goldfish and a few coi (from my pond)
No service is planned, as he will be sent to his watery resting-place in the men’s room.
Your comments are welcome and donations for a new Mascot can be made at the support department.
Red (sniff) you will be missed
Rest in Peace!

Hurry up and .....Wait!

They tell me in the military you hurry to get in a line (chow or otherwise) to wait. Wait for something , anything to happen. Just like the Military I am waiting. I got stinky with the insurance adjusters the other day and they called back. That was the last I heard. I left them several voice mails and called customer service ( Trish is still neat) and Then it hit me! I will make threats!
I called the adjuster who is supposed to help me with that inventory and told him “ I have left you a voice mail twice a day, everyday for the last 8 days. This will be the last one I leave or the next one will be from the corporate headquarters of the insurance company to your supervisor!”
Two minutes later my phone rang. It was him! His excuse was “My voice mail has been messed up since I got my new number.” I explained I left the messages on Both numbers and there is no excuse for this treatment.
An appointment was made for Saturday. We counted and counted and exchanged lists of items that we had and he had and we are going through the evaluation process. I asked several times when could I start getting the trash (all of everything) out of the Garage and start rebuilding? Oh you can move things and add to the list if you forgot something but because there might be a dispute nothing can be removed.
Now I not only have a burnt out garage, I have two rusting, burnt beyond repair and smelly cars in the driveway with more trash on top of them in the driveway. I’ll bet my neighbors just love me!
So now I wait! He is going out of town this week and “Will work on the list” (If I may inject here) From Disneyland??
No matter what we have started the process and hopefully it won’t be too long. I’m waiting for the city maintenance department to put up one of those clean up or face penalties signs! No matter I got mad and it paid off.
Sometimes it takes getting upset to get something accomplished and in this case it paid off. If the people I have been dealing with in this case worked for me they wouldn’t for very long. We have clients who go out of their way to complain about the smallest of things. Luckily we are there to take care of the issues right here and now or have a place to get done what we cannot.
I don’t like getting mad or being the object of someone else’s anger. I want a peaceful co-existence with everyone from the team to the customer to the wife and kids too. This is a way of life and sometime difficult to maintain. Balance is the key. If we maintain a balance between being supplier and customer, Balance getting and dispensing advise We can overcome the waiting and lesson the pressure we have stored up based on our wants over the wants of others.

Taking Stock

After the fire we started the long process of taking the inventory of things in our garage. Of course ther was the usual stuff like yard tools, camping equipment, the occasional antique from lives gone by and of course tools. We discovered we still have more junk than we really need.
This is part of the learning experience, Learning that you collect more than you give away is not good!

Well The restoration folks and I got together and put fire under the insurance company. Seems they and I have been leaving voice mails all week with no response. Todd The owner asked if there was any other numbers to call. I looked up another one a nice girl named Trish (customer services) ,Todd called her and was handed to her Boss. While on with the supervisor, my phone started ringing. It was the supervisor of the adjuster I was working with.
He began telling me the situation was not resolved then resolved but under investigation. (Confused? So am I!) He told me no matter what it was to be paid for. We on the other hand wanted to know when we could start (gets better) he said the inventory still needed to be done. I told him I couldn’t enter the Garage until they release it to us, his response? Go ahead and take out the cars as they won’t be covered (the other adjuster said one would and the El Camino would be settled otherwise) when he ws informed of this the tone changed, He quoted policy and I let him have it!
I have been with this insurance company 6 years and had one other claim (handled by Trish the customer service person) with the same adjuster Chris. Not a bad experience. But now my house is in shambles cars strewn all over and it’s just a mess.
Then when I was done with the supervisor, the real adjuster Chris called (it gets better, folks). His story was I still don’t know about the cars and I can’t find the third party adjuster but I spoke to him a few minutes ago (see?) and he will call you when he gets in the office! Kurt (third party adjuster) Never called!
Chris was to call me the next day (never called) and The supervisor never called to follow up despite their promises.
I had explained that I work for a communications firm dealing with schools and technical support, was a service advisor and mechanic for over 40 years and would not have been if I communicated as well as they do! He was pleading! “Give us a chance to improve” and that chance is about over. Today I will call Trish and get things done!
I told all of you that in order to be able to help a customer, Think like one. Put yourself in their shoes?
Do you see what happens when you don’t?
To be continued…

Richard Pryor was right Fire is inspirational !

Fire is an inspirational thing that’s what he said after his ordeal and I can attest to that statement with authority.
You may ask what does this have to do with service? Well I am about to give praise where praise is due.
6 Years ago I had a flood in my basement. A company was dispatched to do the clean up. The company wanted extra money to repair things in the rooms that should have been covered by the insurance and 2 months later still nothing was done. I called a plumber to have a separate issue taken care of and he recommended another restoration service.
I called Swan’s Carpet and restoration and within 15 minutes the owner was there and took care of the entire basement from soup to nuts. The level of service was excellent and the personality of the entire company reflected a sense of genuine compassion towards my family’s needs. They were quick and thorough. I called my insurance company with a question related to the problem (after it was fixed) and they fired me! By canceling my policy. I quickly got another company.
Two years ago I was called the basement was flooded again this time it was a faulty water heater. Swans was called before I called my agent. They put my kids in a hotel and repaired all that was needed with even more polish and style by adding a production manager. Jim Purcell is a fine addition to an already outstanding company. With humidity detectors and temperature sensors, they monitored my home from the office and the Internet.
Now comes the Fire in my Garage. I was wakened by a scream by my daughter when she came home from an appointment. I saw the fire and called 911 then my wife. When I got off the phone I turned around and there was Todd and Jim from Swans They saw the smoke from 8 blocks away and knew it was my house.

Guess who is going to fix my house again? Their level of dedication and knack for the personal touch is the high mark of quality.
These are the things we learn about people, the way we like to be treated is a direct reflection on how we do what we do on the help desk. The ways we help with alternative ways of performing a task or the little tips and tricks that make using the system easier. That makes our customers happy. I only hope we can have the dedication, personality, compassion and the experience to satisfy our customers as Swans has satisfied me.