Don’t hide when things go wrong

Has the customer-service pendulum swung far enough for you? We’ve just about had it with the lack of customer service, and hope you join us in the fight to swing it back to something that resembles common courtesy.

Like a lot of things in life, whatever you want to change needs to start with you. Change usually begins as an inside job. Your thinking needs to shift before your attitude can shift. Once your attitude shifts, you can focus on changing your actions. We’re not business coaches or counselors, but we have stories to share that might make a difference in the way you do business or deal with customer service reps. Maybe if we all step it up a notch, the big picture will change.

We’ve taken care of details during recent projects that haven’t been all sunshine and roses. A couple of customers paying us tens of thousands of dollars for custom wood projects have had minor issues (a handful of less-than-perfect pieces delivered with a truckload of our wood, a box of caulk was the wrong color).

Guess what we did? Gave them two pieces to replace every one that wasn’t perfect. Immediately shipped the right box of caulk. We did all of it without question (and our deepest apologies) because that’s how we do business.

One customer who sent back some wood reported back to us that overall 99% of his custom order was perfect (his word, not ours). He even said we never hesitated to make it right, and added, “That’s the mark of an honest person.” We didn’t hide. We didn’t ignore him. We acknowledged the issue, apologized, and handled it in a way that made him use the word “perfect” instead of a negative one.

That’s a lot different from the experience one of our subcontractors told us about a global cellphone and internet company that will remain nameless. She spent countless hours during several months trying to get an issue resolved. She finally was able to talk to a tech supervisor, only to be given a PO Box number to write a letter to corporate headquarters in New Jersey. A PO Box? How much hope should she have that she’ll get any special attention — even though she’s been a customer of theirs for a decade.

Humans make mistakes. The way you handle them as you go about your business can and will make or break you. It’s worth it to make it right.

The days of literal word-of-mouth may feel like they are over, but they aren’t. People may not talk face-to-face as much, but they use a device like the one you’re probably reading this on to spread the word on topics they think are important.

If you’ve had enough of horrible customer service, we hope you’ll share this — and demand more than a PO Box number the next time you’re not getting the service you deserve. 

If someone you know should see this post, please share it!