The most important part of sales is customer service. How do the people who represent you show up and serve your clients?
I needed to upgrade the prescription for my glasses; I went to the optometrist, received a new prescription, and handed it to the manager of the store along with two sets of frames. I asked for a rush job since I would be traveling, but she said she, "couldn't control that."
I picked up the glasses, and over the following weeks I realized that the prescription was wrong. They were supposed to be progressives, but I couldn't read anything wearing them. I had to take another trip to the store and after much haggling, the manager agreed to take the glasses back and replace the lenses, only after she spoke with my doctor. I had to make yet another trip to the doctor, who told me that the store had indeed installed the wrong prescription.
Back to the store again where I was told because progressive lenses were more expensive, I would have to pay an additional $120 for the correct prescription. Since I've been a great client/customer at this store (five pairs of glasses in the last two years), I wondered if perhaps she could do something about the additional fee since the mistake was on their end. The store manager wrote down the district manager's name and number and suggested that I take it higher up.
No one could find the district manager because she travels, and after much deliberation I was put in touch with the customer service manager. He offered to replace the lenses for $25 per pair. I said that was nice, but zero would be nicer.
At this point, I had become annoyed. If they empowered their manager to negotiate, or had the manager called her boss while I was in the store, this could have been prevented. I was prepared for a battle, and I got one. It would have been easy for the manager to make me feel like my experience mattered by behaving as though she cared. How? Well, she could have called her manager directly and fixed the situation, or she could have waived the cost.
Is that how they wanted me to feel? In the world of blogging, tweeting and "Yelping", customers have a voice, and not one that service providers or retailers necessarily want us to have. No matter how right or wrong I think one of my clients may be, I will always do what needs to be done in order to have them walk away satisfied. Empower the people who represent you to work out issues, right wrongs, and take action on behalf of you and your reputation.
When someone on my team takes action to correct a concern they are applauded. If I don't agree with the correction taken we can address that later, but customer satisfaction is No. 1. It should be number one for all retailers, service providers and professionals. I am aware my clients could take their business elsewhere, just like I can take my business to another optometrist. I'm loyal until I'm given a reason not to be. You should be too!
