Peter Illman
SK Henderson
Customer Service…
A subject of great debate – good customerservice, bad customer service, exceptional customer service! What is CustomerService? We have all experienced good, bad, and exceptional customer service! Badcustomer service usually means you will not return unless you have no choice.Great customer service means you return and continue to support thisorganisation.
Just today I listened to a talk back debatearound the generally poor level of retail customer service in New Zealand
Great Customer Service is about ‘going theextra mile’ for your customers – what does this mean?
A recent example of great customer servicethat I experienced was when my bathroom tap came loose – the custom clamp thatholds the water hoses together and clamps the tap to the basin had broken – thefirst 2 plumbing merchants I visited did not stock this brand, and were notinterested. Why should they be interested? I would probably never return, andnever need taps again in my life? The third merchant did not stock the brandeither – in fact nobody stocked the brand! But the Customer Service Consultantwas determined to help – he found a similar clamp in his spares drawer, andthen to make it work sold me a $5 packet of washers. “It may not work, but itsworth a try” Well it did work, even though it was mission impossible to getones hands up under and behind the basin! Of course, next time I want plumbing/ bathroom products I will immediately know where to go!
Why? Because they solved my problem andwere willing and happy to spend some time to do it!
And to illustrate that great CustomerService does exist I have one more example;
Recently I needed a puncture repaired. Yes,I got pulled in by a clever advertisement offering to do this for free. Ithought, maybe a gimmick but worth a try? I arrived on a Saturday 15 minutesbefore closing time – within minutes my tyre was repaired……but even though theywere getting ready to close, all my tyres were checked and inflated to thecorrect pressure, along with advice re tyre wear, my windscreens were cleanedand my tyres all painted! I will of course return to purchase tyres when I needthem, not because the puncture repair was no charge, but because of the great customerservice and easy environment they provided!
(not to mention the trouble I went throughlast time I needed some tyres!)
It goes without saying that businesses whoare genuinely interested in providing great Customer Service are the ones weall wish to deal with!
