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Empower your people to make decisions and keep your customers satisfied!

I'm about to share a customer service story with you. A true story that no business owner wants to experience. I'd like to give you all an assignment as readers. While you're sitting back in your lazy boy getting ready to digest another Business Nuggets™ column, be open-minded. Put yourself in my shoes.

After starting my business and getting my feet wet I became more and more comfortable with the knowledge that I was a serious enough business owner. I decided it was time to take the plunge and install business phone lines. Why? Because without them you're not listed in directory assistance or the yellow pages. If a prospect or customer remembers Above & Beyond, but not Chris Mullins or Peterborough, they'll still be able to get our phone number as long as they remember NH. This was a very exciting time for me. I had become a real business owner. I made the very expensive investment and got 3 business lines. With business lines you automatically get business white page and yellow page listings. WOW! I've hit the big times... The Yellow pages. I was able to list my fax, web site and phone number and because I was marketing savvy I created a name for my company that was both inspirational and started with the letter "A". This meant I'd be at the top or very near the top of the phone listings. Then it happened. The books were coming out. I couldn't wait to see it. IT WAS PUBLISHED WRONG! Everything about it was wrong. The worst thing was I couldn't change it like an advertisement in a newspaper. No matter how much you scream, yell, cry, beg, plead or threaten. It can't be changed! It's published for ONE YEAR! I called the Phone Company! To make matters worst I got a voicemail system with lousy music and a commercial saying how important the customer is to the Phone Company. I was put on hold for what seemed like an eternity. Because I have customer service call center experience I could tell I had reached a large call center. You know the voice mail messages that say… stay on the line, don't hang up or you'll lose your place in line. Well, finally Melissa answered the phone. It was her lucky day. She got me, the starving entrepreneur who had spent her last savings on business lines that were published incorrectly. Speaking with Melissa was the ABSOLUTE BEST EXPERIENCE I HAD EVER HAD! I use this story over and over again in all of my training programs. Here's why! Remember that this is a TRUE story. Melissa was calm, compassionate, understanding, she said things like… "I can't believe it", "I'm so sorry", "I couldn't imagine being in your shoes", "Oh know". She didn't point fingers, she didn't say it wasn't me, she didn't say… they don't know what they're doing, we have new people or what would you like me to do about it? She didn't pass the buck. She took complete 100% ownership for the error. She listened. No excuses. She was compassionate. With a response like that what could I possibly say? She was ON MY SIDE!

She never transferred me to the dreaded Supervisor or put me on hold, she 100% empathized with me! I really and truly felt like she was there for ME and only me! After I had vented thoroughly, after Melissa heard me and empathized with me, the bottom line remained. There was nothing she could do to change the errors. She immediately told me they would run my ads for FREE for the next two years and add an additional category in another book of my choice. Did I have to fight for this? NO! She did it. It was her. She was empowered by her leaders to make decisions. Because of Melissa I was satisfied. She made it a pleasant experience. She kept me satisfied. Is the customer always right? NO! The customer is King! Empower your people to make decisions. Keep your customers satisfied!