Did you know that, after experiencing poor customer service, 86% of consumers will do business with that company’s competitor instead? Although we all understand the importance of customer care, sometimes the delivery gets lost among the day-to-day shuffle. It’s fair to say, though, that on some level, understanding how to deliver great customer service is the difference between a company thriving or shutting their doors for good. Here are three examples of different takes on providing great customer service. Some did, and some didn’t handle it quite so well.
1. Bungie Studios Brings Holiday Cheer
Bungie Studios could easily be called one of the most beloved game developers, and they have many times gone above and beyond to help their customers out. One man’s son had to receive a liver transplant during the holiday, leaving him unable to play the newest version of their game, Halo. The father contacted Bungie, and the team sent him a personalized get well card, built him a custom helmet based on the main character, and also sent custom art, toys and shirts from game designers. Well done!
2. Direct Buy Delivers Consistent Great Service at Their Dining Room Furniture Stores
Sometimes, it’s not about making every purchase or customer request a big event, but rather, about providing it consistently for every customer, every time. Direct Buy dining room furniture stores get multiple customer service comments on their website every week, and the tone is positive. Many customers remark upon employees remembering to ask about their children or remembering their names, which can be a sign of customer service that goes above and beyond consumer expectations. Only 26% of companies have a well developed strategy for improving customer service, and this seems to be one of them.
3. Dell Computer Woes
There are a lot of bad customer service stories out there about computers, but this one takes the cake. One submitter to Kate Nassar’s blog post about the 25 worst customer service stories said how she had purchased not one, but a full 12 computers from Dell, that would not turn on no matter what she did. When she called the customer service rep, can you guess what he said? “What do you want me to do about it?” And when she said “Excuse me,” there was clarification: “It had to be something you did, and that’s why they’re not working.” One tip for better customer service? If you don’t understand the problem, get them in contact with someone who does, and make sure all employees are enabled to make this happen.
Have you had positive experiences with Dell computers, DirectBuy dining room furniture stores, or Bungie Studios?
