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The Ultimate Weapon
In my last entry, "Complaining for Results", I outlined a process we as consumers should follow as we address issues that inevitably arise during customer-vendor transactions (If you haven't read it yet, click here). Now, if you haven't taken the time to complain and given the vendor a fair opportunity to win back your good faith, the action I propose in this entry is premature. Get your complaints together and get it to the vendor; how else do you expect to get the kind of service you expect and deserve? If you have gone through the effort to communicate your concerns to the vendor, but the vendor has been unwilling to listen, you've come to the right place. Remember, we are the consumer and though it may not appear that we are still in control, we have the power to make our voices heard in one of the most decisive moves known in a free-market economy-walking away.
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Complaining for Results
Over the weekend, a few friends and I met at Dave&Buster's to watch the 7th game of the Eastern Conference basketball finals. As is customary of any good gathering, we ordered drinks and appetizers as we watched a very exciting and hotly-contested game. Everything was going very well until one of my friends complained that his drink was not very good and his order had come out cold. Of course, I suggested that he tell our server of the problems with his food and let her know what you wanted her to do about it. He agreed, but when the server returned, he complained about how bad everything was but never told the server what he wanted her to do to fix it. When he finally finished complaining, the server politely apologized and asked, "what would you like me to do?" My friend, bewildered by the question, snapped back, "Why do I need to tell you what to do, I would think you would know since this is your job". His comment drew a sharp look, then fake smile from the server, who took the plate and glass away. When she left, I asked my friend the question that spawned this discussion; why would you take the time to complain if you haven't thought about what you want the outcome to be?
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My Service Mistakes
OK, so I'm sure some of you are wondering, "what makes this egghead an expert on service?" Well I'm not an expert, whatever an 'expert' is. I'm just like most of you; I've been in the business of delivering service for almost 20 years, and I've been a consumer for almost my entire life. So, I've had literally thousands of opportunities to experience service delivery from both sides of the table; if that makes me an expert, then sobeit. As a result of my experiences, I've seen as well as made more than my share of mistakes. The mistakes have given me the most valuable lessons and keeps me focused on improving my skills as a professional. Still, as illustrated below, it doesn't mean that I won't make mistakes in the future; wouldn't that be something if it did?
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How Job Satisfaction Impacts Service Delivery
A few days ago, I had the need to call a government agency to get clarification on an outstanding issue. After navigating the labyrinth phone tree set up to keep me away from other human contact, I finally reached a customer service professional. After telling the voice on the other end the nature of my call and what I needed from her organization, she placed me on hold (why is still unclear since she didn't feel the need to tell me, nor did she ask if putting me on hold was even OK, but that's another discussion). A few minutes later she returned to tell me that she had no record of me in their system. After an uncomfortable silence, I reminded the voice on the phone that I had received correspondence from her department and the letter referenced her number to call if I had any questions; how could this be? Her answer; "sir, I don't know what to tell you, if you're not in the system there's nothing I can do for you". Rather than get completely frustrated, I apologized for interrupting her and thanked her for her time.
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