By Jennifer D. Kluge
Sept. 30, 2010
I had a technology service that I needed to renew (no names to protect the guilty). Last week, I called the 800 number and immediately I was in another country. I was put on hold three times, my questions were not answered and then I was disconnected 30 minutes later.
Great service, eh? Ok, I’m irritated at this point. Silly me, I call again the following day. Same experience, they can’t answer my questions, they try to sell me things I don’t want and I’m on the call for 40 minutes on and off hold, just to re-order their technology solution. Unfortunately, there is not a competitor for this product, so I guess they can treat their customers horribly because no one else offers the product.
Another story, same week. I checked into a hotel, the same hotel I have been staying at for eight years. It’s always been clean, always excellent service and I have never had a problem. Fair warning, what follows is not for the weak. I woke up and notice several bugs in my room, they kept appearing and I kept killing them. I called down to the manager to explain the problem and they sent someone up as I was leaving. I go down to the desk to check out and to complain, nothing is done. I then get a call from the hotel a week later. Oh goodie, this is my apology call. Nope. “I’m sorry Miss Kluge, we have overbooked our hotel for next week and we are going to cancel your room. Can we make accommodations for you elsewhere?”
Unbelievable. So I call back, and say yes please book me somewhere else and oh by the way I had a bad experience last time I stayed at your hotel. “Oh are you the lady that left me the note (I’m speaking to the manager at this point) about the bugs?” No apology, no super savor credits, no free night…just an interesting discussion on how they handled getting rid of the bugs. Needless to say they lost my business after eight years of loyalty. I tested them, and they failed.
I am a proponent that quality customer service determines your brand and your customer affinity. Affinity is your level of likability by your clients. Positive affinity and sales is the ideal situation. However, there are many companies that have positives sales numbers, positive gains and horrible affinity. I wonder if they care that their customers don’t like them. How many of your customers don’t like you?