Sometimes, it’s the simplest things that can change a customer’s experience for the better or for the worse. I had an example of this a couple of days ago. A couple of months ago, I bought a used Harley-Davidson Road King. I love this bike. I purchased it from an independent (non-Harley) dealer, and bought an extended warranty (again, non-Harley). On a road trip over the weekend, I had a minor problem with the shifter. Minor in that I was able to make a few roadside repairs and keep the road trip going – but the ultimate fix would be a warranty job.
Since I hadn’t used this warranty yet, I didn’t know where it was accepted and where it wasn’t. You’re thinking that I probably should have ascertained this before buying, and you’re right – but I get as excited about buying as anyone else. So, I decided that the easiest thing would be to go to the company’s website and use their dealer locator.
They didn’t have one. No way to plug in my ZIP code on their website and find the closest place to get a warranty job done. OK, no problem. I’ll call them. Here’s where it got frustrating. I first spent nearly five minutes navigating menus (press 2 for, etc), and finally ending up with a receptionist who would direct me to member services…..which put me right back to the receptionist.
Now I’m getting irritated.
After another call, I ended up with a customer service person. Good deal, I thought. I’d just explain the situation to her, she could look on her computer, and tell me where to take my bike.
Wrong.
She got flustered, and said that there was really no way for her to find the information but she would talk to people in the company and call me back.
An hour and a half went by. Now I’m thinking what you’re thinking – I bought a worthless warranty. There are no Harley dealers in Kansas City that will take my warranty, and now I’m going to have to get a refund on the warranty, perhaps with my lawyer as help.
Finally she called me back, but without any information. She was having trouble finding out what I wanted to know. So, I made a suggestion. How about I tell her the names of the dealerships in Kansas City, and she could tell me if they took the warranty? She wrote down the names and promised a call back.
Another hour went by. Now I’m mad. You would be too.
When the call back came, it was from the Operations Manager, who told me that, as it happened, the closest dealer to my house did in fact accept their warranty. I thanked her for the information, but asked her why in the world it was such a hassle to find out? She had no good answer for me.
As I hung up, I reflected on all the times that companies make customer service harder, not easier, by making obvious information difficult to get at. Take a good hard look in the mirror. Do you do that?
Here are THREE STEPS to improving your customer service, and creating an experience that will leave your customers with a smile.
- Make a list of the most likely information that customers will need when they call your company. (FAQ’s)
- Make a list of the most likely people to get that customer call.
- Equip the people in #2 with the answers to #1.
- You’re done.
As a customer, the most frustrating aspect to dealing with any company is an inability to get answers. So, why make it difficult? This is an easy project, and yet I’ll bet that 2/3 of those reading this (at least) have never done it. And, when your customers struggle to get information, they begin asking themselves “What else?” As in, “If this is this much of a problem, what else will be problematic?”
Oh, and the story has a happy ending. I took the bike to the dealer, it’s fixed, the warranty worked, and I’m happy. But I’m not delighted about the experience and the time wasted, and if I were asked advice on buying the warranty, I’d give less than an unqualified recommendation.
