Customer service is not a department it is an attitude. Being nice and considerate costs nothing.
How many times have you visited a store for customer service and received customer hell? Have you ever had an experience with a car rental company? How about a contractor? What about …. I am afraid to say it? Airline companies.
Hi I am A.J. Schweda, co-owner of Premier Machine Tool Midwest, and in today’s Premier Post Minute, I would like to share a positive customer experience I had last month.
Recently, I booked a room at the Embassy Suites in uptown Charlotte, NC. We had two rooms booked, but only one appeared on the computer. The woman at the front desk was Tamara Davis. She kept looking but couldn’t find the second reservation. I booked it through a third-party app, and for some reason it did not show up.
Keeping customer service in mind, she booked a room for you for tonight so you can figure this out since obviously there is money involved that you already pay for. Then she asked me to call the third-party app to see what they could do. It took me about a half hour to find out that there had been a mistake and I could rebook at another hotel.
While I was still on hold with the third party, I returned to the front desk to speak again with Tamara. When I explained what happened, she asked the third party if it would give me a full refund, which they did because she said I would book you direct and ensure you get the same rate you had. She worked hard to rectify the situation, always keeping a smile on her face and keeping the customer in mind. If she had told me “nope, I do not have your reservation”, I might have ended up in customer hell.
While she had a smile on her face, I received the wonderful experience of being taken care of as a customer.
As a consequence of the confusion, she not only booked me a room but also got me a great rate. In appreciation, I presented her with two books signed by the author – the little yellow book of yes attitude and get shit done by Jeffrey Gitomer.
She appreciated the gesture and I wished her well.
In business, it is crucial to treat clients in the same way that you would like to be treated. Do you remember your mother telling you this?
Whenever you are in Charlotte, I would recommend the Embassy suites and ask Tamara if she can assist you. You may also want to check out your friends at Premier. Like Tamara, they know the difference between customer support and customer hell.
I hope you have a great day.
