By Peter Kaufman – Director of Creative Services, Sage Marketing
Who doesn’t love a great customer service story? Here’s one: When my wife was pregnant with our third child, she had a hankering for a cheeseburger from Five Guys Burger and Fries. We had two little ones at home and she was due in 2 weeks…in other words, not a relaxing time in our lives.
I went to the restaurant and picked up the deliciously greasy food and brought it home. She cut into her burger and it was raw. I don’t mean medium rare, I mean it looked like they had just leaned the cow up against a radiator. Gathering a full head of righteous indignation, I called the store and told them that ‘I WAS ON MY WAY’ back to rectify this moral outrage.
In the six minutes it took me to get back, I had a whole list of outrages that this affront had surpassed…World War II, not getting into Harvard…you get the idea. When I walked in, the manager said, “Hi, I’m so sorry about what happened. I made her another burger, zeroed out your bill (over $25.00) and here’s a gift certificate for another $25.00.” “Uh, well…thank you.”
That story happened 12 years ago and I still tell it whenever customer service comes up in a conversation. One smart manager (and great training from Five Guys) diffused a situation and made me a raving fan for life.
Most customer service aren’t this cut and dry. How many people simply fade away? You forget to follow up and make excuses: “They weren’t going to buy anyway.” “I didn’t get a great feeling from them.”
Most sales happen after 8-12 contacts. Are you and your company doing the right follow through? And think about the clients you have…what kind of regular follow-up are you doing? Do you have a plan for each level of client? Why not?
Getting back to a restaurant analogy, how many times have you eaten in a restaurant and it didn’t go great? You didn’t make a fuss. You didn’t tell the manager you weren’t happy. When you leave and the host acts how it was you say, “Fine?”
How many of your customers walk away from you and say that everything was “fine?” Make an effort this week to follow up on every lead, reach out to those who have fallen off your radar. Did you like this article, or was it “fine?”
Have a great week.