Crisis Tip #10: Testimonials of Customer Service, the Good, the Bad and the Ugly

The best way to more revenue in economic times is right under your nose…
By Patrick Valtin

“Quality in a service or product is not what you put into it. It is what the client or customer gets out of it.” ~Peter Drucker

People like to feel well taken care of. When you show a genuine interest for them and do something special, unexpected, they tend to remember you. When you treat a customer like he is the most important person in the world, he naturally wants to come back to you.

This is especially true in times of uncertainty and economic struggle. The extra mile you go for giving them more than what they expect is worth gold and is the best antidote to losing customers. Emotions always emanate from expectations. A customer’s feeling of delight and happiness derives from the fact that he received from you much more than what he expected; you made him important by providing him with a special service, by doing something that most people would not do.

So, surprise your customers, exceed their expectations. And you will have them for life!

Money.aol.com asked their readers to share their most memorable customer service experiences. Here are some good and bad examples of Service Sinners & Service Saints:

• BEST: COSTCO. A reader says: “I bought a mattress at COSTCO for about $500. At the same time I ordered a custom made bed. I took the mattress home that night and slept on it for about 2 months while waiting for the bed to be delivered. I loved the mattress, but it was about 8 inches thick. When the bed came and assembled, the whole thing was ridiculously tall. I am 5’5” and I could not get into it, even with a step stool. I called COSTCO, and even though my husband and I’d been sleeping on the mattress for several months, couldn’t find the receipt, and didn’t have the packaging, COSTCO let us haul the mattress in and gave us a full refund.”

• WORST: TIFFANY. A reader says: “My soon-to-be fiancé and I were at my favorite jeweler, Tiffany’s. We told the salesman we were trying to find something in the $5K range. He began to show us rings in the $15K range. When we told him we could not spend more than $8K he told us to think about what we really want and to COME BACK WHEN WE HAD MORE MONEY TO SPEND.”

• WORST: COMPUSA. A reader says: “I purchased a computer at Comp USA but changed my mind so I returned to the store to return it. The manager was giving an elderly lady a really hard time. I asked him how he could treat an elderly person so badly. The manager told me it wasn’t any of my business. I was not going to let him talk down to me, so I told him I was going to report him. I then went to another store. Next thing I know, I get tapped on my shoulder. I was confronted by 2 policemen asking if “I was the guy trying to return a computer.” I responded “yes.” They told me I was being detained for “burglary.” The original manager lied, and said that I walked into the store, picked up the computer and walked out. So I spent 2 days in jail.”

Remember, doing something special for your customers can win you a unique and long lasting reputation. So be the “BEST”, not the “WORST!”