During the last few days, I was given a strong example of how far out
of sync a retailer could be in the approach with loyal clients.
I have a supermarket close to my home where
I am a frequent shopper. The store is close by. The selection is not huge, but certainly adequate
for my needs. The clientele is not always of the noble variety, but there the
market is innocent.
The parking situation has become atrocious
in our neighborhood lately. After a certain time in the evening, it has become
impossible to find a parking spot. One evening, out of pure desperation, I left
my car in the store’s parking lot, knowing there was a risk tied to this
decision.
I went out in the morning to find out that
my car had been towed away. Certainly this is not a good way to start the
morning, but I accepted the risk of leaving the car in this parking lot
overnight. I called the city department responsible for towed cars to find out
that my car had been towed by a private company and was promptly given the
number of the business. The private towing service was very friendly mentioning
they are open 24 hours a day and even gave me instructions on how to get to
their establishment.
At that point in time, I started thinking
this situation where a local supermarket hires a private business to tow people’s
cars from an empty parking lot in the middle of the night (the car was towed at
1AM), knowing full well how desperate the situation is with parking and that a
car overnight can only be from someone in the neighborhood. Isn’t it correct to
assume that the owner of that vehicle could very well be a customer of the
supermarket?
My next step was to enquire where the
customer service for this supermarket chain is located with the objective of
talking to them about the situation. I was clearly guilty and had no intention
to hide this. My question to them concerned a perceived treatment a loyal client
had received. What is more important for this supermarket, the receipt of a towing
charge (which I’m sure they don’t see much. I actually found out through
discussions with others that this actually a racket where I live. I wouldn’t be
surprised if the towing company does not pay the supermarket for the privilege
to tow cars from their property!) or the continued patronage of a loyal
customer? The objective had nothing to do with the charge I paid to get my car
back, but rather this ideal I have of customer service….and what is right. I
have developed a theory which basically states that those who pride themselves
on customer service are the most indignant clients you can ever have. They will
not accept poor service and will let you know. They will also explain WHY the
service is poor. This is all tied to an obsession we have about process
improvement.
That evening, I went home and started going
through my receipts to calculate how loyal a client I had been. I was surprised
to uncover a spend of over $1100 over less than a 6 month time period conducted
within 28 visits. My daughter was astute enough to note that the figures I had
calculated did not even take into account the cash payments, where we save no
receipts.
Now here comes the Cluetrain moment! I
drove down to the customer service department of this supermarket and went to
the reception. I mentioned to the receptionist that I would like to speak to
someone in the ‘customer service’ department
Receptionist: Do you have an appointment?
Me: No. I assumed under the name ‘customer
service’ that the intention is to help customers with issues.
Receptionist: Did you write an email?
Me: No. I made the effort to visit you with
the intention of settling matters
The reservationist was perplexed but called
the customer service department and handed me the phone.
‘Customer Service’: Sorry, I am the wrong
contact for your query. Have a good day
Me: I have difficulty understanding this
definition of ‘customer service’. I just wanted to let you know that I felt
your supermarket should be aware of the perception certain loyal customers can
get from that of what happened to me. The question is not of guilt or blame. I am
guilty of the infraction but feel that your business should work with the
community, not against it.
‘Customer Service’: Well, I’m sorry. I can’t
help you. Have a good day.
Me: I brought my documents along to show
you how loyal a customer I am. Can I please show them to you?
‘Customer Service’: I am alone, and besides
I told you already I can’t help you. Will you please leave?
The receptionist noticed that the conversation
was getting heated and tried to intervene, to her credit. Unfortunately, the
best she could offer was to talk to a regional sales representative, who might
be able to offer me a gift certificate.
They all didn’t get it!
The real problem was not with the
receptionist, or even the bureaucratic ‘customer service’ employee, but the corporate
culture that instills in their employees that the customer is the enemy. OK, I’m
sure it’s not every day that you have some crazy customer who is actually
trying to help you in improving the service. Instead of saying “terrible market. I won’t go back there again
and will let everyone else know how bad it is”, I made the effort to visit them
to explain matters. With that of what I experiences, they made a bad situation
infinitely worse!
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