| |
| |
|
WebsiteAlways |
|
Adjustment DENIED
It's just a simple thing - I bought a new set of shelves for my office. It wasn't a real problem, but when I got the shelves home, I found dents on the front of the shelves where the package had been leaned up on some other object, the shelves had been removed from the original box and put into another box. The dents didn't affect the way the shelves worked, but it did affect the way they looked. Normally, I might have overlooked the problem, and just used them anyway, but I felt I had paid full price for the shelves and deserved a discounted price, so I mentioned it to the store manager the next time I was in the store. Having been a long time resident of the community, I felt my word should have some credence, and the fact that I'd known the manager personally for more years than I could count; I expected some consideration. I was handed some off hand reference to store policy and the matter was dropped. When the manager was in my home several weeks later for dinner (a social visit) he made reference to the 'hardly noticeable' dents on the front of the shelves. By this time the veneer was beginning to peal away from the dents and the front of the shelves actually looked pretty bad. I had compensated for the problem by using these shelves in a corner of my home office where few people actually went. However, the fact that I'd paid full price for the shelves still wrinkled my brow, whenever I thought about the fact that changing boxes on the shelves had hidden the damage. To my way of thinking, it had been just plain bad business, and I'd quit frequenting that particular merchant regularly because of it. His lackadaisical comment had brought the problem back to the surface, and me face to face with the person responsible. I smiled and politely agreed that the dents were 'hardly noticeable' but I felt there was a problem with selling damaged goods for full new price. Intimating that the problem could be a marketing concept that had been overlooked by the parent company through their policy reference. The social visit ended sooner than I had expected. Our evening had been a fun and memorable one with friends, and I promptly put the incident where it belonged, in the past. Almost a week later, while in the middle of a project, my phone rang, and it was my friend the manager of the store. He asked if he could bring over a company representative, for coffee. I said yes and put on a new pot of coffee. Not once did I realize the reason for this visit. He had often used me as a consultant for marketing solutions. Their arrival brought a new dimension to our friendship. While I entertained them with coffee and a piece of my prizewinning coconut coffee cake, my friend explained to his company representative about the shelves. He told first that the shelves had been repackaged to hide the damage, then when I (the customer) had brought the complaint to his attention, he'd remarked that store policy didn't allow him to make random choices about discounting damaged merchandise. Then he explained that he'd lost a valuable customer, because I didn't frequent his business like I had before. The marketing concept was not lost on the company representative, who offered to replace the shelves, delivered and set up, at no additional charge. The truth of the matter was that I was a consumer of that particular market, and they were losing this client. Marketing is a process of doing business, and they were not doing the process in a manner that supported returning customers. Return customers are a fundamental resource of any business. New customers are expensive and do not represent the primary source of income, unless you are a NEW business. Even if you are a new business, you should consider any customer entering your business as a prospective return customer, and show them that you are competing for their business. Did I return to the store as a buying customer? Yes, I did. However, I visited the store several times, in a non-buying capacity, before I purchased anything, to see if any of their policies had changed. It had, and I'm happy to report, this company is now doing at least market share of the business in this area. Their clientele appears to be growing on a daily basis and they have happy customers leaving the store. Copyright © 2001 - Jan Verhoeff Printed in the USA Jan Verhoeff is a business consultant who specializes in the development of new businesses throughout the Greater Great Plains States. She educates business owners in the process of developing business and marketing plans for their businesses that will encourage them to set and meet productive business goals. She is the author of a variety of articles published in a variety of business and trade publications throughout the USA. She may be reached by phone at 719-336-4036 or by email at: janverhoeff@yahoo.com.
MORE RESOURCES:
Customer-Service - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
One Critical Question to Ask Yourself Every Day What happened to the old saying, the customer is always right? I'll bet every one of you reading this article has a "customer service nightmare" story to tell. My most recent nightmare experience took place recently when my business partner and I went in to a wireless phone store to purchase two new pda wireless phones. How to Transform Your Voicemail into an Effective Medium of Communication "Hi this is Randy. Leave me a message after the beep and I'll get back to you as soon as possible. What Do Your Clients REALLY Think of You? *********************************************Know Thyself - Socrates*********************************************I'd like to start this article with a test ?What do you get when you cross a Northern Canadian male, a 4x4 truck and heavy rain?You guessed it! ? Mud Bogging!!!!That is how I spent my morning. My husband's new truck was too shinny, so he felt he had to get it dirty again just so he could wash it for the fourth time this week. The Importance of Good Customer Service Do you have good customer service? Even for your free giveaways?I have been thinking over the past couple of weeks why some WAHP's have trouble growing their business. They host chats or do online parties. Basic Levels of Consumer Integrity that Presently Permeates Society Reality is not always pretty. But here is a tad bit of it for you today. Call Center Software - Your Tool of Choice in Customer Relations The call center represents your first line of communication with customers and potential customers. Whether you choose to outsource this service or to establish an in-company call center, this is one area in which quality is paramount and cannot be compromised. The 3 Rs of Customer Service What I am about to tell you may seem very obvious - you may even say DUH!!! but the fact is, - many company's forget the 3 R's of good customer service- Respect your Customer, Take Responsibility for Your Actions and Products and give your Customers a Full REFUND when it just isn't right. I promise you that if you follow these 3 simple rules you will never have to run after the same customer again!Respect the customer! Just about as plain as the nose on your face Right? Wrong!How many times have you been greeted in a less than courteous manner or worse yet- not at all!! Never lose the opportunity to make a great first impression- very rarely do you have a second chance to undo the damage done by that first encounter. How to Keep Customers Who was it that said - "The customer is always right"? Well for those of you who can't get through the day without knowing, it was H Gordon Selfridge, the founder of Selfridges's department store in London.The question I want answered is; did he ever work with customers on day-to-day basis and if so, was he some kind of saint?Let's face it; customers can be a real pain in the neck. How Do You Create Customer Loyalty? Another sad fact of life is that these days, very few customers are loyal. Most of their loyalties lie with their bank accounts, and you can't blame people for watching their shrinking dollars. Listening: The Foundation of Communication Listening is the #1 communication skill for leadership, selling, customer service, and even romance! The problem is, most of us don't listen very well. We're not trained to listen and we don't even realize that listening is a skill. The 7 Principles of Business Integrity If you have integrity, nothing else matters. If you don't have integrity, nothing else matters. All of the World of Business Is a Stage One of the basics of acting taught to me in grade school was the important principle of "staying in character." Staying in character means holding the image and personality of the character you are assigned to portray without letting your own personality leak through. Increase Sum in Your Check Account with Follow-Ups We'll be examining what makes follow up to prospects/customers so important on our online world today.Are you familiar with this scenario? Joined an affiliate program with good pay-out. Dont Be Afraid To Give Problem Customers The Boot Q: In a recent column you made the point that the customer is always right, which I agree with. However, in the same column you also said that it is sometimes necessary give problem customers the boot. 4 Things Your Clients Want From Your Company Sure, all clients are different. They have different kinds of strengths, weaknesses, cultures and goals. Create Win-Win Deals With Your Competitors In the competitive world of the 20th century, we generally viewed competitors as the enemy. And a competitor was anyone who sold to the same target audience as us - even if they sold a different item. Post Office, Incredible Lady Postmaster There are two Post Offices that I routinely visit. One is the office that delivers my mail and the other is frequently on the path of some daily errands. Doors by Catering to Your Clients Clients? they are the most important influence in the success of any business. It is vital to keep them satisfied and happy. Loyal Customers Take Commitment In today's competitive world of retail, many stores are implementing external marketing programs designed to attract new business.Unfortunately, the cost can be very high with little return on investment. What Every Employee Should Know About Putting Positive Phrases Into Customer Service If you were a customer on the telephone with a question or complaint and were ready to make big purchase, which of the following phrases by this employee would make you feel welcome and want to complete your transaction? Which would drive you away?* I'm sorry. I didn't get that.
|
| Interesting articles | Home | site map | Link |
| © 2006 |