Customer Service Reviews or Manipulations?

In the past couple of years I have had encounters with Angie's List and Better Business Bureau that make me question their purpose. Both of these businesses have built their reputations on facilitating customer responses to a variety of businesses-for-hire. Angie's List claims to serve potential customers in finding reliable service and product providers who cannot sway the publicity; yet, when I purchased a vehicle, the dealership wanted to reward me with free oil changes if I agreed to post a good review! Investigating the service, I discovered that Angie's List wanted me to pay them a fee to read or to post information. What would keep anyone from posting a fake review for personal benefit--positive publicity for one's own company or for negative publicity for a competitor? Another time, I uncovered a scam out of an operation in NYC and contacted the BBB there. The scammers threatened to harm my credit rating if I did not pay them what they wanted. The BBB could not help because the scammers would not reply to the BBB. Soon after, the BBB notified me that they recorded my claim as their success because I had not continued to follow-up, and, therefore, must be content with the outcome! In another BBB encounter with the KC office, a client's former customer made a bogus claim. I agreed to mediate the claim through the BBB. The customer lied about the circumstances of the claim and the content of the signed contract to the BBB. Regrettably, attorneys were required and my client settled out of court just to relieve his dwindling resources caused by attorney fees and days of lost work. The BBB said they would rate my client's business a B+ for three years as a result of the claim. I asked why not an A and was told that that might happen if my client were to join the BBB for a fee. Again, the BBB took credit for a successful outcome. Then the BBB called to ask me to pay them for my company to join! The manipulation of customer service expectations makes me question the validity of these sites. Beware!

A Simple "Thank You"

So often I see and hear about poor customer service. The pizza dispatcher who holds us for 3 minutes 37 seconds to verify our $10 coupon, the sales clerk who continues the phone call as we stand at the register with carefully selected items, the store representative who argues the return policy with no apology or empathy.... These stressful economic times take their toll on underpaid and understaffed sales personnel and on underpaid and underappreciated customers. Everyone is working to pay their bills and debts, and everyone is sleep deprived in the process. Patience is thin and tempers are transparent.

So I was delighted when during the past week, I witnessed three examples of excellent customer service in three different places. Two women at a check-out stand were told there was no rain-check for the sold-out item they wanted, but there might be some restock items in the back. The clerk called and within two minutes the items arrived. A construction client received a discount and a gift during a delay on an outdoor home-improvement project due to wet weather and resulting scheduling conflicts. A patron received immediate and expert attention during a suit sale. Color coordination and customized fitting services expedited the shopping errand and accompanied extra tips for value pricing and additional coupons. These experiences amazed me. The extra time and effort to serve the customer went beyond the norm.

Yet, none of these services was verbally recognized by the primary customer at the time of the service. A simple "thank you" goes a long way--long enough to help the next customer in line to experience good service! Pass on the good word--it can help build the economy.

Saying "I'm Sorry"

Corporate attorneys get nervous when managers or other agents offer apologies to internal or external customers. For good reason: an apology suggests guilt and a confession can cost a company a lot of dollars in a lawsuit settlement. Nonetheless, leaders make apologies!

Consider the Tylenol company that apologized to the nation when a crazy person altered products with death-producing results. The company was not responsible for the deaths, yet took full responsibility for the opportunity their products created. Tylenol recalled all of their products from America's shelves--a multimillion-dollar decision. Tylenol officials followed all the steps for an effective apology. Ultimately, hamper-proof caps and labels came out of the misfortunate situation, and American consumers had increasing respect for one company's board of directors. Their apology was "the right thing to do."

Also, consider Bill Clinton's apology to the nation for lying during his presidency.
The country was torn whether the broadcasted comments were really an an apolgy or just regret for getting caught in a lie. Clinton did not follow all of the steps for an effective apology. His apology was manipulative.

Steps for Making an Effective Apology:
• Thank the readers/listeners for their concern and willingness to bring the situation to your attention.
• Describe the situation as you understand it.
• State your regret and/or responsibility: "I am/We are sorry." "I was wrong."
• Optional: Explain why the situation occurred and what you will do to ensure it never happens again.
• State a suggestion for remedy or offer a choice for approval to correct the situation: refund, exchange, free upgrade, or something else of value to replace the loss.
• Offer a gesture of goodwill in addition to the remedy when possible: a coupon, gift certificate, or free service.
• Thank your reader/listener for the opportunity to mend the relationship and maintain trust.

According to research, if customer service representatives follow this procedure, 95%of disgruntled customers will remain loyal—even more committed to the organization than they were before the dissatisfaction!

Apology is strategic plan for damage control. Apology is also a sign of character. When a leader apologizes and explains a situation from his/her perspective, people listen and learn. The best leader I ever saw was my dad--a former US Navy pilot, American Airlines manager, and entrepreneur. When I had used poor judgment and dismissed my mom and dad's rules of conduct, I expected a spanking. (I was 12 when I was last diciplined with a spanking for jumping on the bed. Breaking a bed in a home with seven children or risking an emergency-room run was unacceptable.) Yet, after each spanking, within 15 minutes, Daddy would come to my room and apologize for being upset over my infraction, calmly teach me what I had done wrong, clarify his expectation for the future, hug me and say, "I love you." Not wanting to disappoint my dad, I rarely did anything that I thought would result in his displeasure. Still, he apologied to me and that always elicited tears and an apology from me!

How refreshing it would be for leaders in organizations to admit when and why they were wrong, disguided, misinformed, underinformed, or thoughtless in any way. No doubt, improving trust, relationships, loyalty, and retention would result!