Thank you everyone for your visits now and before. I am now posting out of my new blog - The Peloton. Please click through for more posts.
Thanks again
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Amazing Customer Service
In a recent post on the NY Time Freakonomics blog an example of a company creating a Moment of Truth and really wowing the customer was given as the single best example of customer service.
The linked story is incredibly heart-warming and is one of those times when an employee has gone the extra mile out of care for the customer. Companies should be looking for those moments when they can win a customer (and entire set of blog readers for life).
Not all interactions will have the opportunity to win a customer over, but they are there and companies should be prepared to invest in the right ones, at the right times.
If you have any amazing customer service stories that you'd like to share please email me directly or post via comments.
As I read this story I clicked the link to read the comments. What is interesting was before I could read the comments I was given the option to complete a short Customer Survey through a third party company. Not the ideal customer experience when reading a story about the best customer service ever.
Companies like the NY Times should take into consideration their own customer's experience with the specific stories they are reading.
The linked story is incredibly heart-warming and is one of those times when an employee has gone the extra mile out of care for the customer. Companies should be looking for those moments when they can win a customer (and entire set of blog readers for life).
Not all interactions will have the opportunity to win a customer over, but they are there and companies should be prepared to invest in the right ones, at the right times.
If you have any amazing customer service stories that you'd like to share please email me directly or post via comments.
As I read this story I clicked the link to read the comments. What is interesting was before I could read the comments I was given the option to complete a short Customer Survey through a third party company. Not the ideal customer experience when reading a story about the best customer service ever.
Companies like the NY Times should take into consideration their own customer's experience with the specific stories they are reading.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Do Not Call list
Coming into effect in the next few days in Canada is the National Do Not Call List. Developed by the CRTC, but managed oddly enough by the largest telecommunications firm in Canada Bell Canada, this is a very water-downed version of what most of the public had been asking and looking for.
In an article in today's Toronto Star they cite a poll of Canadians that state 64% intend to register for the do not call list. I do hope for the sake of bitter irony that this poll was conducted over the phone
Certain organizations such as companies that have current business with you or charitable organizations are exempt from following the registry (you register your home phone number and organizations aren't supposed to call you). The overall number of calls that a person receives may not be reduced however as companies work to re-direct their telemarketing work in an effort to continue sales (yes telemarketing works).
Under the companies that you have current business with I know of a couple of the larger Canadian banks that are going to respect customer's wished to not be called under Do Not Call guidelines in an effort to improve the overall Customer Experience and Customer Satisfaction. Companies should respect the registry and the rights of individuals to not be contacted, but only the test of time and the strength of enforcement will determine how effective it is.
Please share your do not call list stories with me. To register yourself visit this site.
In an article in today's Toronto Star they cite a poll of Canadians that state 64% intend to register for the do not call list. I do hope for the sake of bitter irony that this poll was conducted over the phone
Certain organizations such as companies that have current business with you or charitable organizations are exempt from following the registry (you register your home phone number and organizations aren't supposed to call you). The overall number of calls that a person receives may not be reduced however as companies work to re-direct their telemarketing work in an effort to continue sales (yes telemarketing works).
Under the companies that you have current business with I know of a couple of the larger Canadian banks that are going to respect customer's wished to not be called under Do Not Call guidelines in an effort to improve the overall Customer Experience and Customer Satisfaction. Companies should respect the registry and the rights of individuals to not be contacted, but only the test of time and the strength of enforcement will determine how effective it is.
Please share your do not call list stories with me. To register yourself visit this site.
Response Received
As promised - below is the response I received from the hotel I was dealing with. They are in a difficult position - I have already left - and they have limited opportunities to win me back.
Companies should do what they can to try and restore an overall customer experience though. Dealing with the customer service department or help line is as much a part of the experience as staying at the hotel itself
-------------------------------------
Well Hello There Mr. MacDonald,
Thank you very much for reaching out to us. My name is Denny &&&&& and I am a Welcome Desk Manager at the &&&&&. I have received a copy of your customer service file and wish to offer my assistance from this point forward. Firstly, I like to offer my deepest and sincere apologies for the low level service you received while with us. Our goal is to ensure that every minute of your escape with us is pleasant and memorable (in a good way of course). If we have not done that then we have failed our job miserably. We appreciate that you have taken the time to offer this feedback because it gives us the opportunity to rectify and work on these areas that need work. There is no excuse for bad service which is why your feedback is so important to us.
To recover from a bad experience such as this is truly never easy. I am certain however that we can offer much better service than this and I am hoping that we can get this opportunity in the future. I have reviewed your reservation and indeed you did not receive the points that you should have rightfully earned. I would personally like to offer you a total of 5000 bonus points as a token of goodwill. My hope is that we can welcome you again and offer you the quality of service that I am sure we can offer you. I would also like to offer you a complimentary upgrade to one of our suites on any of your future visits. Please provide me with your &&&&& Preferred Guest number so that I can immediately add the bonus points to your account. Please feel free to contact me at any time if you have any questions or if there is anything else that I can do for you.
Warmest regards,
Denny
Companies should do what they can to try and restore an overall customer experience though. Dealing with the customer service department or help line is as much a part of the experience as staying at the hotel itself
-------------------------------------
Well Hello There Mr. MacDonald,
Thank you very much for reaching out to us. My name is Denny &&&&& and I am a Welcome Desk Manager at the &&&&&. I have received a copy of your customer service file and wish to offer my assistance from this point forward. Firstly, I like to offer my deepest and sincere apologies for the low level service you received while with us. Our goal is to ensure that every minute of your escape with us is pleasant and memorable (in a good way of course). If we have not done that then we have failed our job miserably. We appreciate that you have taken the time to offer this feedback because it gives us the opportunity to rectify and work on these areas that need work. There is no excuse for bad service which is why your feedback is so important to us.
To recover from a bad experience such as this is truly never easy. I am certain however that we can offer much better service than this and I am hoping that we can get this opportunity in the future. I have reviewed your reservation and indeed you did not receive the points that you should have rightfully earned. I would personally like to offer you a total of 5000 bonus points as a token of goodwill. My hope is that we can welcome you again and offer you the quality of service that I am sure we can offer you. I would also like to offer you a complimentary upgrade to one of our suites on any of your future visits. Please provide me with your &&&&& Preferred Guest number so that I can immediately add the bonus points to your account. Please feel free to contact me at any time if you have any questions or if there is anything else that I can do for you.
Warmest regards,
Denny
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Response from Customer Service
Following up from my previous posts in my complaints to my recent hotel stay I received a response from the Customer Service desk just within the promised 24 hour window.
--------------------------
Dear Devon MacDonald,
Thank you for emailing us. I welcome this opportunity to assist you.
Please be assured both &&&&&Hotels & Resorts Worldwide and &&&&& Preferred Guest strive to maintain the highest quality of customer service. I apologize if your experience has not been an example of this and would like to assure you that it was the exception and not the rule.
I have forwarded your comments to the hotel's General Manager on your behalf. This matter will be fully investigated and you will hear from the hotel within five days.
In the meantime, should you have any further queries, please do not hesitate to contact us either by replying to this email or by phone at 1-800-###-###. Your reference number for this matter is #####.
I hope your next stay will be more enjoyable.
In order to ensure that we deliver the best customer service to our guests, I would like to ask if you could take a minute to complete our brief customer feedback survey. The survey consists of eight quick questions and should only take a minute or two to complete. We welcome your comments and thank you for your participation.
We appreciate your patronage of &&&&&Hotels & Resorts Worldwide. If you have any further customer service questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us at &&&&&@&&&&&hotels.com.
Best Regards,
&&&&& &&&&& Specialist,
E-Communications Department
&&&&&Hotels & Resorts Worldwide
-----------------------------------------
Meeting established customer expectations within the Customer Service field is an absolute must. I had mentally prepared my post in which I would stress the importance of meeting set expectations with customers, particularly when dealing with a complaint issue. I will save it for another day.
I appreciate the opportunity to submit further feedback using the links provided (hyperlinks from message removed to prevent identifying information), but I will admit to finding it a little premature and untimely. The type of feedback that they are looking for will most likely be jaded by my experience with Customer Service or addressed in my previous complaint. Companies should request feedback from customers, but it should be at dependable and consistent times within the customer lifecycle.
I look forward to the response from the Hotel Manager within the promised time and will share the response with you.
Also, after my wife read this post she let me know of a couple of other issues with the service that I had either a) forgotten or b) not been a part of;
--------------------------
Dear Devon MacDonald,
Thank you for emailing us. I welcome this opportunity to assist you.
Please be assured both &&&&&Hotels & Resorts Worldwide and &&&&& Preferred Guest strive to maintain the highest quality of customer service. I apologize if your experience has not been an example of this and would like to assure you that it was the exception and not the rule.
I have forwarded your comments to the hotel's General Manager on your behalf. This matter will be fully investigated and you will hear from the hotel within five days.
In the meantime, should you have any further queries, please do not hesitate to contact us either by replying to this email or by phone at 1-800-###-###. Your reference number for this matter is #####.
I hope your next stay will be more enjoyable.
In order to ensure that we deliver the best customer service to our guests, I would like to ask if you could take a minute to complete our brief customer feedback survey. The survey consists of eight quick questions and should only take a minute or two to complete. We welcome your comments and thank you for your participation.
We appreciate your patronage of &&&&&Hotels & Resorts Worldwide. If you have any further customer service questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us at &&&&&@&&&&&hotels.com.
Best Regards,
&&&&& &&&&& Specialist,
E-Communications Department
&&&&&Hotels & Resorts Worldwide
-----------------------------------------
Meeting established customer expectations within the Customer Service field is an absolute must. I had mentally prepared my post in which I would stress the importance of meeting set expectations with customers, particularly when dealing with a complaint issue. I will save it for another day.
I appreciate the opportunity to submit further feedback using the links provided (hyperlinks from message removed to prevent identifying information), but I will admit to finding it a little premature and untimely. The type of feedback that they are looking for will most likely be jaded by my experience with Customer Service or addressed in my previous complaint. Companies should request feedback from customers, but it should be at dependable and consistent times within the customer lifecycle.
I look forward to the response from the Hotel Manager within the promised time and will share the response with you.
Also, after my wife read this post she let me know of a couple of other issues with the service that I had either a) forgotten or b) not been a part of;
- the wake up call that we requested for Sun morning never came (which is potentially very serious - we could have missed our flight)
- the front desk staff (who claimed to be on loan from another &&&&& hotel) didn't know where Bloomingdale's was - this is a major tourist attraction and I think that all staff should have a basic knowledge of the major attractions in the area
- no coffee maker in room, no restaurant open early to get coffee from and no coffee station in the lobby for early risers/departures
- the bathroom in the suite was quite shabby and not at all up to the standard that I would have expected for that calibre of room
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Automated Confirmation Message Received
10 minutes after I had submitted my online comments to the hotel I received the below automated response from the hotel.
--------------------------------------------
Dear Valued Guest,
Thank you for contacting &&&&& Hotels & Resorts Worldwide.
This is an automated acknowledgment of your message to let you know we have received your email and that we will reply within 24 hours.
This message is not intended to answer the email that you have just submitted but we do want to confirm that we have received your message.
One of our E-Communications Specialists will read and address your comments personally. This often requires some time for research before replying but please be assured we are working very hard to get back to you as quickly as possible.
--------------------------------------------
I am looking forward to their response!
--------------------------------------------
Dear Valued Guest,
Thank you for contacting &&&&& Hotels & Resorts Worldwide.
This is an automated acknowledgment of your message to let you know we have received your email and that we will reply within 24 hours.
This message is not intended to answer the email that you have just submitted but we do want to confirm that we have received your message.
One of our E-Communications Specialists will read and address your comments personally. This often requires some time for research before replying but please be assured we are working very hard to get back to you as quickly as possible.
--------------------------------------------
I am looking forward to their response!
Message Sent
As promised in my earlier post I will be sharing my communications with myself and the hotel regarding my past stay. In a search of their corporate website I was able to submit a complaint through a free formed box and select the "Compliment or Complaint" category.
I first drafted the submission in MS Word - a better way to few the overall message and execute spell / grammar check rather than within a tiny box - and a web pop-up notified my of the message being sent. I did however receive a message received confirmation in my email inbox - which is a simple step that companies should do.
The full text (minus rates or identifying information) of my message is below:
--------------------------------------------
As a frequent business and leisure traveller and a Customer Experience professional I was looking forward to my weekend stay in one of the suites at the &&&&& Hotel in New York. The overall size and comfort of the room was good, and while it was expensive it was decent value. The service that we received at the hotel however will keep myself and wife from staying at a &&&&& Hotel again.
We did however find the staff to be unprofessional and inattentive to simple needs in a number of ways:
- I was not asked for my &&&&& card or membership and did not receive room credit for my stay
- We requested a standard sewing kit be sent to our room – it never arrived
- We tried to book usage of the complimentary car service but found the attendant to be generally uninterested in our request
- We were assured by the concierge that the adjoining lounge would accept us early and were turned away by staff
For a boutique hotel asking $### a night for a suite I would have expected at least basic services and requests as I have described above to be met. I have received better service at a number of other hotels that certainly don’t claim to have the prestige or pedigree as &&&&, but deliver quality service and deserve my business.
Sincerely
Devon MacDonald
&&& Number #########
--------------------------------------------
I will post their response (including response time) upon receipt
I first drafted the submission in MS Word - a better way to few the overall message and execute spell / grammar check rather than within a tiny box - and a web pop-up notified my of the message being sent. I did however receive a message received confirmation in my email inbox - which is a simple step that companies should do.
The full text (minus rates or identifying information) of my message is below:
--------------------------------------------
As a frequent business and leisure traveller and a Customer Experience professional I was looking forward to my weekend stay in one of the suites at the &&&&& Hotel in New York. The overall size and comfort of the room was good, and while it was expensive it was decent value. The service that we received at the hotel however will keep myself and wife from staying at a &&&&& Hotel again.
We did however find the staff to be unprofessional and inattentive to simple needs in a number of ways:
- I was not asked for my &&&&& card or membership and did not receive room credit for my stay
- We requested a standard sewing kit be sent to our room – it never arrived
- We tried to book usage of the complimentary car service but found the attendant to be generally uninterested in our request
- We were assured by the concierge that the adjoining lounge would accept us early and were turned away by staff
For a boutique hotel asking $### a night for a suite I would have expected at least basic services and requests as I have described above to be met. I have received better service at a number of other hotels that certainly don’t claim to have the prestige or pedigree as &&&&, but deliver quality service and deserve my business.
Sincerely
Devon MacDonald
&&& Number #########
--------------------------------------------
I will post their response (including response time) upon receipt
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