Customer Service Matters in Marketing

​​​Have you ever had such a positive customer service experience that you felt you had to share it?  Excellent customer service can leave you feeling like you just got the perfect gift... a gift you want to share with others!

Great customer service provides an opportunity for companies to reinforce the authenticity of their brand and build relationships.  Listening to customers, then helping them define their challenges and formulate solutions that meet or exceed expectations is all part of building trust.  Pair that with dependability, honest communications, good value and convenient service and you've got the recipe for developing loyal customer relationships and referrals. In other words, giving the gift of great customer service can result in growth for your business!

My Experience:
What started out last Tuesday as a hassle and "one more thing on my list" to address before the holidays, turned out to be a simple, inexpensive solution that was fixed within 24 hours, checked off my list, and left me feeling heard, helped and happy!  Shout out here to small business owner John Cochran (jbblinds.com) who took a few extra minutes to talk with me about my situation then provide a solution.    
 
The Problem:
We have wood blinds through most of our house. Yesterday I had yet another turn rod mechanism break. (That's the mechanism inside the top of the blind that allows the rod that hangs down to move the wood slats, opening or closing the blinds.) Sometimes it's just the rod that breaks and is easy to replace.  More often, it's the tiny plastic piece that connects to the inner mechanism at the top of the blind that breaks.  This requires the entire mechanism be replaced or a new blind be installed. 

This was the third blind that was now broken, and this one was the largest blind in our kitchen. We open and close it daily. It was time to look into repair or replacement.  New wood blinds are not cheap, and I was concerned I would need to replace all the blinds throughout the room so they would match... Dollar signs crept into the back of my mind.

The Solution:
I searched online (that's a story for another day) for "Blind Repair" in my city and began making calls. After leaving messages at several other blind companies, I got through right away to J&B Blinds.  John (the owner) spent time on the phone with me as I described my issue and patiently explained that this particular brand of blind was no longer made. He then mentioned that sometimes there are other compatible parts that will work for repair, but that he'd need to see inside the mechanism at the top. 

The Sale
John suggested I either bring the blinds into his office or he could come to my house, making sure I knew upfront that there was an $80 trip fee that would apply towards any repair.  He then suggested another alternative.  I could text him photos so he could see if the components he had were compatible with my blinds.  I sent him photos. He reviewed them and texted me back within 90 minutes with a couple more questions, then confirmed that yes, he did believe he had the correct parts to fix my problem.  Yay! 
 
Service
To my delight, John was able to schedule my service for the following morning - yay again! Then he actually showed up when he said he would!  (that one should be obvious, but it doesn’t always happen.)  He fixed everything in well under an hour, replacing 3 turn rod mechanisms and 4 rods, then when finished he told me that the $80 covered all my repairs!! No new blinds required.  Even better, I now have his card and business address so the next time one of these mechanisms breaks I know exactly who to call. 

Implications of Excellent Customer Service:
Did John make a large sum of money on me today?  No.  Will he get my referrals for anyone I know who needs blinds cleaned or repaired, or needs new (non-custom) blinds installed in their home or business?  You'd better believe it.  

Customer Service Lessons for Marketers:

• LISTEN and show Customers that they MATTER!  John had an attitude of helpfulness and took time to help me figure out the most cost-effective solution to my problem.
• Make it CONVENIENT. We’re all busy, make it easy for your customer! John solved my problem from first phone call to completion in less than a day turn-around. He immediately took my call, quickly responded to the photos I texted him, and recommended a solution within a few hours, then scheduled an appointment at my home for the next business day.
• Build TRUST. Be ethical and honest. John was up-front about the trip costs, which were ultimately applied to the actual parts and repairs.  He was honest and ethical and sold me only what I needed to most cost-effectively solve my problem. 
• Be DEPENDABLE. Do what you say you will do.  John set expectations, and met or exceeded them in all areas.  He responded quickly, He spent time to correctly diagnose and find a cost-effective solution for my broken blinds, he arrived on time, finished the job in an efficient manner and charged only what he said he would charge.

​In marketing, you can make a lot of claims and promises, but if you don't deliver it means nothing.  Customer Service is the ultimate proof of whether your marketing claims are genuine or not. Do it well and you build trust, which leads to loyalty, customer testimonials, and growth for your company!  ​