In a previous discussion, we talked about bad company customer experiences. I think people will think twice now about flying United Airlines, or signing up for AT&T (dis)service.
Anyways, please share any of your good or great company customer experiences ALONG with why you think so. Thank you.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Recently I found myself looking for an artist for a project on which I was working. After exhausting all of my personal contacts, who didn't have the available bandwidth at this time, I posted my project up on a number of freelance websites hoping for the best. Within 24 hours I had 12 responses and within 48 I had a total of 25. A lot of folks offered up examples of their work in response to the project description I drafted. That was expected. What wasn't expected was one artist who went so far as to sketch and color in low-res the project itself to show his capabilities. Not only was the sketch exactly what I was looking for, but the price was the most reasonable of the responses. I immediately awarded him the business and I have a feeling we'll be doing a lot of work together.
ReplyDeleteTo me, this is what separates good partnerships from potentially great ones. Personally, I try to take the same approach: whether during recent interviews or projects inside or outside of work. This guy invested a little extra time to present me with a solution to my problem. He knows his threshold of how much he's willing to invest. But he also knows that the likelihood of someone else stepping up with a similar effort is slim to none. So it's a calculated risk, but one he's willing to take to form that good partnership.
My hat goes off to any company or employee willing to go the extra mile because it's the right thing to do.
Great company experiences of mine:
ReplyDeleteSouthwest Airlines - simple online reservation system; good value anytime, anywhere; reliable; no hassles or excessive rules; easy to do business with, such as with redeeming award tickets (note - see my United Airlines post under 'bad' company experiences); as fun as travel can be nowadays.
Redbox - convenient, cheap (can't get cheaper than $1/dvd, or in most cases free with a promotion code they email out to me weekly); great customer service (one time when I wasn't able to return a dvd within 24 hours due to kiosk being down, they offered me credits for five free rentals...no questions asked).
Netflix - until I began trying out Redbox, I used Netflix exclusively. Easy, intuitive website for managing my rentals; good price value; appreciate movie recommendations based on past behavior and preferences; reliable; lightning-speed mail delivery/return (they must have some alternate mailing delivery system in place because I can leave a dvd in my home mailbox for the postman to pick-up on a Monday afternoon, and receive an email from Netflix on Tuesday morning saying they have already received it and my next one is on its way).
Marriott - they know how to appreciate frequent elite customers with personal service from the moment you check in to when you check out, as well as in between with various communications and offers. One year, I even received a birthday card signed by the front-desk staff of a Marriott that I was practically living out of for 6 months in New Jersey on a consulting assignment. They know me very well.
Wegmans - the absolute best supermarket experience. I worked here part-time growing up in my hometown of Rochester, NY for almost 6 years. I spent the last few years working at a Customer Service desk in my neighborhood store. Their customer-first philosophy in everything they do was influential in the career path I have chosen and followed. Here'a quote from a front-page feature in the Wall Street Journal, “We consider them the best chain in the country, maybe in the world.” This is a $5 billion-dollar family-run grocer that began in 1915 that now operates 73 stores: 48 in New York State, 12 in Pennsylvania, 7 in New Jersey, 5 in Virginia and 1 in Maryland. How Wegmans Supermarkets compare with others:
-More like a European open-air market
-More choice than possibly any other supermarket chain: More than 70,000 products, compared to an average of just over 40,000 (according to the Food Marketing Institute) in most supermarkets.
Larger than most supermarkets:
-Stores run 80,000 to 140,000 square feet in size. Aisles are unusually spacious.
Wegmans offers more customer convenience services and “stores within a store” than possibly any other supermarket chain.
Why people will drive miles to a Wegmans:
-Ranked #5 on FORTUNE magazine's 2009 list of the 100 Best Companies to Work For. Wegmans has been on the list every year since it began in 1998, and in 2005, ranked #1.
-Raised the bar on the shopping experience — better quality goods, a spectacular abundance of choice, restaurant-quality prepared foods, beautiful stores and displays, a nearly telepathic level of customer service.
-Consistent low prices, every day, in all departments so that customers don't have to run around town chasing deals.
-An early adopter of new technology: Wegmans was one of the first supermarkets to introduce electronic discounts in 1990 and bar-code scanning in 1974. The late Robert Wegman co-chaired the public policy subcommittee for the grocery industry development of the UPC.
Each year, Wegmans receives thousands of letters from all over the country requesting that they come to their communities. This is similar to cities trying to persuade Southwest Airlines or IKEA to come to their town. I know you might be thinking, "but it's just a supermarket." That's what most people say who don't live where there's one nearby and think what they have is pretty nice. If you ever have the opportunity to visit a Wegmans, you will not regret it.
to build on my Netflix comments above, I am linking to an interesting article 'How Netflix gets your movies to your mailbox so fast'
ReplyDeletehttp://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/chi-0804-netflixaug04,0,6424990.story
It's pretty fascinating their behind-the-scenes operation that enables that great customer experience.
Here's a good customer experience from Southwest...
ReplyDeleteI made a flight reservation yesterday, arriving on Sep 17 and returing on Sep 20. Their site has a new interface and I must have messed it up, as my reservation came up arriving on Sep 20 instead of Sep 17. Realizing the mistake, I immediately called Customer Service. Within 1 minute the flight was changed and the agent informed me that I had a $13 credit, which was posted to my credit card.
What I was most impressed about was that it was clear SWA understands the stress that must result when a customer books a flight incorrectly. It's one of those moments when you get a twitch in your stomach, realizing you're in for a drawn-out, expensive process to unravel this situation. SWA has it nailed! It's one of the reasons that if SWA doesn't fly there, neither do I.
Jay Weinberg
The JAY Group
www.thejaygroup.com
Here's another good customer experience...
ReplyDeleteYesterday, my family (wife + 1 yr old baby) and I went to Fleet Feet in Chicago (Wells & North). I had never been there, and I wonder how these specialty retailers are holding up in the face of big box & online competition, coupled with the recession. Well, this place was doing a brisk business and I soon understood why.
When I walked in and caught up with my wife, she was holding a runners number (one of those numbers they pass out at a race). That was her place in line.
Once she was called, the very friendly associate sat down with her, and asked about her habits and what she was looking for. She asked relevant questions and took measurements. It was clear she had been well trained in this topic. She then had her walk away, then back, in her stocking feet.
The associate then said she will be back with some appropriate choices. She took control of the product selection! While all this was going on, I looked around and noticed that all the other associates were equally diligent. The guy next to be had his customer run on a treadmill for a few minutes. It was hooked up to a camera and laptop so they could analyze the test. There was also a short running aisle, and other people were using that.
The associate returned with 3 pairs of shoes, and explained why these particular brands/styles would be best. She also suggested some inserts to correct a habit in her walking.
As a further nice touch, when I was wandering the store with the baby, someone came by to ask if I'd like some water.
Maybe it's just me, but my typical experience in a footwear shop (or more likely a footwear department of a larger store) has me perusing the samples, picking a few out, and telling the clerk that I'd like to try each of these in a size 10.
At Fleet Feet, I noticed that the "work area" was in the back of the store. There was a row of benches for customers, then a row of chairs for the associates (facing the customers), then a wall of sneaker samples behind them. While the customers certainly had access to the wall, I'm sure it was thoughtfully positioned that way based on their customer engagement strategy.
I have no idea how well this company is doing financially, but my guess is that they ahead of the curve, because they really understand how to take care of customers. I'm sure their customer satisfaction and retention numbers are relatively high for this category. Great job!
Jay,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment. I have experienced the exact same experience at this and other locations. Fleet Feet has always done a great job catering to the running enthusiast, distinctly separating themselves from the Sports Authorities, Dick's etc. in providing specialized products and customer service to those who look at their footwear as a tool rather than an accessory.
I would bet that FF has never really considered those "other" places as competition. However, in the current economic market, where some of their customer segment may be forced now to view this as an indulgence or may need to delay purchase (but still probably not the real running die-hard, most valuable customer enthusiasts), business may be slightly off, but I would still place my bets on a business like FF that has always offered great customer service as part of an exceptional total experience to continue to flourish.
"It's a marathon, not a sprint"
Two seconds. That is how long a typical online shopper will wait for a retailer's Web page to load before getting frustrated.
ReplyDeleteIn three seconds, 40 percent of shoppers will abandon the shopping site completely, according to a study conducted by Forrester Research.
The study was aimed at measuring how customers' online shopping expectations have changed in the past three years. The conclusion: Shoppers are more satisfied with their online shopping experience than in 2006. But they are also less forgiving of delays.
Bottom line: Customer experience expectations continue to grow no matter who they do business with, from the product/service itself, to the way they engage and interact. Those companies that meet the challenge (and opportunities that result) of delivering a great customer experience will stay relevant while those that can't allow for their website to load in three seconds or meet any of the many experience standards established will have trouble doing so.