I want to share an unexpectedly GREAT CUSTOMER SERVICE moment that completely OVERTURNED A VERY BAD CLIENT EXPERIENCE.
It started with me spilling coffee on my master remote control (which runs everything in my entertainment centre). I took it apart and cleaned it, but it just wasn’t fixable.
Since it’s for an older model PVR, I wanted to call the local #SHAW office to find out if they had a replacement in stock. If not, I could save myself a drive into town and just order one online. On the other hand, why wait 3 days for a delivery if I could just go pick one up?
Phoning turned out to be a lost cause since there’s no published number for local offices… everything now goes through one 888 master phone system which plays a game of 20 questions (none of which were getting me where I needed to go).
Okay, so the website… haven’t logged in there for a decade… but there’s an online chat! That’ll work, right? So I fill out the form and type in my question and the app pulls up a bunch of relevant questions already answered… which takes me on a bit of a goose chase, away from the chat form I just filled out.
I’m on my phone by now, so navigating kinda sucks and it’s been an hour already… I was done trying. I decided to just drive to their office to find out from a human. By now I was pretty sure I was wasting my time and they wouldn’t even have an older model.
So an hour later I arrived at the #SHAWCABLE office and I was pleasantly surprised to find out they did in fact have a replacement remote! Awesome! I was still feeling the aftermath, but glad that the hunt was over with.
Then I asked, “How much do I owe you?” and she said, “Nothing.” NOTHING!? Are you sure? She was!
Well I was genuinely shocked. I’d been frustrated and pissed off for nearly 2 hours and in that instant she wiped it all away with an unexpected act of generosity.
I guess it’s standard practise, or maybe she has some discretion, but either way, it’s rare that a large company EXCEEDS my expectations, so it had a massive impact.
And that’s my point. It’s not even about the money, it’s about going the extra mile to do what’s in the client’s best interest, especially after a poor client experience.
So now imagine what would happen to your business if you could intentionally IMPRESS your clients like this on a regular basis, even just a time or two per year?
Look beyond a simple discount or freebies, there’s always more you could do that often does not cost you revenue.
I can say with some authority that impressed clients are loyal clients who will happily recommend you to anyone who mentions your field of expertise.