Forums: Discussions for entrepreneurs and small business.

Have you had just an unbelievably good customer service experience or do you have a secret to providing great customer service that you`d like to share here?

I think customer service is what makes a good business a great business and helps you rise above your competition. 

~Kim

Several years back, I bought some expensive snowboarding gloves made by the company Marmot.  They worked great keeping my hands warm and dry all day on the slopes.  But after my first day out with them, I lost one in the parking lot when packing my gear back in the car at the end of the day.  I didn`t discover this until I got home when I remembered dropping it while loading my board on the roof rack.  Since I was busy, I forgot to pick it up.  It was completely my fault and I was so mad at myself for losing one new expensive glove.

I called Marmot and told them the truth about my negligence.  The glove I happened to lose was the one with the tag.  The remaining one had no model number so I could only describe the glove that looked so similar to other models they have (black).

While I was on the phone with this very friendly customer service guy, he contacted the warehouse to see if they had some extras, then put me on hold so he could literally go over there to get it, came back and printed up a shipping label and said it would go out in tomorrow`s mail.  They GLADLY and QUICKLY replaced the glove and it wasn`t even their fault!

Wait, it gets better.  It came in the mail and was the wrong model.  It was only a shell and didn`t have the comfy, warm inner glove.  I called the guy back and explained.  Through deduction now, we figured out the right model glove I needed.  They didn`t want me to send back the shell glove and they sent me yet another replacement.  It was the right one.

Marmot made an excellent impression on me.  They were friendly, fast, very accommodating and went way beyond what I would have expected since losing the glove was my fault.  They knew I liked the product and they wanted to keep me as a customer.  It worked too because I still use those gloves.  I have since bought other Marmot outdoor gear and every time I do, I think of what a great company they were when I was gloveless.  And here I am saying great things about them!

Make a good impression by helping customers in need (your fault or not) and you can keep them for life.

Great story, Steve!

I guess I should add my own.  I was making some curtains for my kitchen years ago and had a panel of fabric vegetable cut-outs I was going to use to line the curtains.  I needed 2 panels but could only find one.  I emailed the company (like the first email I ever sent in the early 90`s) and within a week, a package comes in the mail.  It had 4 of those panels in it with a letter explaining that they had discontinued this line but found these in their warehouse.  They were sending me all four in case I needed extras in the future. 

I can`t even remember who the fabric company was but I was amazed that they did that.  I only asked where I could get more.  I didn`t expect 4 free ones to show up on my doorstep. 

~Kim

The best customer service experience I`ve ever had happened at a Saks Fifth Avenue store several years ago. I used to go into the store every once in a while and buy a few clothing items (on sale) here and there. A certain salesperson always seemed to be there and was extremely helpful and engaging.

My mother never bought me clothing for birthdays and holidays because our tastes were very different. But one birthday I was surprised when I opened a package from my mother and inside were several articles of clothing from Saks in just the styles/colors, etc. that I liked. I was stunned. I asked her where in the heck did she come up with this idea and how was she able to figure out exactly what it was that I liked.

She explained that a couple weeks before my birthday, she had received a phone call from a very nice salesperson at Saks, who let her know that I came into Saks on occasion and that she had some ideas that might interest my mother for my birthday. The girl explained that there were several items that she knew would catch my eye and even better, they were on sale. The idea thrilled my mom so she asked the salesperson to set aside a few items for her to come and pick up.

Afterwards, I asked the salesperson how she had figured all this out. She told me that during our conversations she had made a mental note of where my parents lived and that my mother had never bought me any articles of clothing that I had really liked. That gave her the idea to look up my parents in the phone book with the hope of giving them some suggestions for my birthday.

That may be an example of extremely creative salesmanship more so than customer service but for me it was all about this person`s willingness to really be proactive.

That is an interesting story about Saks!

My favorite customer service experience was one I had at a local Starbucks. I have never had a bad experience at Starbucks, because they always make my custom orders EXACTLY right, and they always have helpful suggestions when I want to try something new. My husband and I go at least once a week, and after a few visits at a particular location, we walked up to the counter, and all of a sudden, the barista not only remembered us, but he remembered how we like our drinks. He said, "Don`t tell me, let me guess." Not only do they listen carefully as to how we like our drinks, but this experience made me realize that they really value us as customers.

I must say that for as huge as Starbucks is, they have a pretty solid control over customer service.  They`ve instilled a good set of standards.  I`ve been to some locations where I was treated completely neutral (which I actually consider poor customer service) but I don`t remember a bad experience if I`ve had one.  Most of the time, it`s pretty pleasant.  There`s something to be said for giving good benefits to even part-timers.