Today’s customer service is way too transactional.  Companies expect you to scroll through a bunch of drop down boxes, narrow down your topic and then read through a frequently asked questions page to “resolve” your issue.  Is that really any way to treat a current, future or soon to be past customer?  A company’s revenue stream?  A company’s lifeblood?  I think not.  We are faced with customer service scenarios many times a day…some good impressions but most abysmal.  Yet some companies get it right every time.  How do they do that?  I think the answer is simple but first, let me share a few of my own recent examples.

 My realtor, Morgan Davis, hosts a referral party every year…15 years strong at this point.  This is a party where those that have bought, sold, referred or just because, get invited to an evening event with fun, frolic and good food.  Each year has a different theme..  This year’s theme was cowboy.  Given that Morgan is from Texas, I wonder what took him so long to come up with that theme?!  Nonetheless, he always chooses great venues, usually one that I am not familiar with.   This years was at Urban Pine.  Basically Texas dropped in the middle of eastside Portland!  On arrival, you were given a cowboy hat and vest, if you wanted.  You then caroused over to the open bar.  You were greeted by black-clad servers hauling around, nothing less than Texas toast with pimiento cheese.  The movie, The Good, Bad and Ugly was playing on two TVs, there was a photo booth (so  much fun) and a fabulous buffet.  Then a comedic skit was done and finally Morgan thanked everyone and recognized two separate people for their outstanding efforts on his behalf.  All in all a great night, that definitely solidifies that Morgan VALUES his customers.

 This party is on top of what he regularly does such as monthly perks, a referral guide and he  even stepped in when he recommended a contractor to me that failed miserably.  Morgan found another contractor and then paid for that portion of the project!!!  Wow!!

 Let’s now flip to the not so good side.  I recently upgraded my phone with Verizon.  I have been a customer for 10 years.  I spent an hour on the phone with the customer service rep.  Got my phone, loved it.  Part deux…I receive my bill and low and behold it is completely different from what she told me it would be.  When I called customer service and spent ANOTHER hour on the phone, he basically told me that the previous rep had misinformed me and he was sorry, but this is what it was.  Can we say DECEPTION!  I requested a supervisor and was told he would call me within 24 hours…can you guess it…no call yet….  Is that really how you want to treat a customer of 10 years that you are making money from each month???  Hmm, makes you wonder.

 So what can companies do to address this abysmal trend of lousy service?  Like most things, it comes from the top and needs to be pervasive in everything the company does…look at Zappos for example….the website, the policies and the interactions with the customer service reps, all scream, YOU, the CUSTOMER, are the most important thing.  But you don’t have to be big like Zappos to offer great customer service..  As a matter of fact, smile at your co-worker, offer to get something done for them and you have just provided great service.  It really is pretty simple.  But until most companies learn this, hats off to you, Morgan Davis and team and the few other companies that really get how important customer service really is.