3 Steps To Taking Customer Service From Average To Legendary

It was my first week on the job at Phone.com, things are going smooth until I get a call from a rather frustrated customer. Apparently she had called in for the past 3 weeks, trying to order an adapter from us that allows you to use a traditional home phone. This usually goes great, that is, as long as you can get it shipped to you in the first place. For whatever reason, Fedex thought this customer either lived on the moon, or just didn’t exist. Being a think-outside-the-box kind of guy, I decided to take matters into my own hands. I gave my adapter up for adoption.

It was tough to part ways. I hardly got a chance to even hold my brand new adapter in its shiny, delicate plastic packaging but it had to be done.  There was a customer that needed to make calls, and I was probably going to use it for a doorstop. Priorities, right? When my fabled adapter arrived in our office, I sprinted out to meet the driver, intent on getting this thing shipped out today! I included a card apologizing for the agonizing wait, along with a colorful monkey sticker and ample happy faces. Nothing like putting a shine on a sticky situation like excessive stickers usually do.

Long story short, this customer received my fabled adapter within a few days, and is now a happy customer that will probably be with us for quite some time. This would have never been possible without a few simple steps that I took to make sure I made an impactful experience with this customer:

• Go The Extra Yard! It’s one thing to stick to an established procedure, when that procedure works. When it doesn’t, you have to start thinking outside the box of logical procedures, and determine how you can overcome a perceived challenge and turn it into a victory.
• Personalize The Service! It wasn’t enough to just send the adapter in a boring cardboard box. I took the steps to write out a personalized note that engendered an emotional connection to cool a rather emotionally frustrating situation.
• Take swift actions! After a 3 week wait, I knew that time was of the essence. Tensions were high and impatience as a vocabulary word was now being thrown around commonly. I made sure the device got sent out the minute it got off the Fedex truck.  Nothing like express service!

Overall, thinking outside the box for customers and empowering employees to make such decisions is what turns average customer service into something legendary. The next time you run into a tough situation, close the manuals, ignore the procedures, and pave a new path of discovery. 

[custom_author=derricka]