buyer aid - Where Did It Go?

Recently I took a quick two day firm trip to Denver, Colorado. On my trip I discovered that somewhere while all the hustle and bustle of life person killed "Customer Service." On the day of my departure, I arrived early at the Memphis International Airport. The Northwest Airlines mark line was long...good thing I was early. After a good 30 minutes in line I was told my flight was cancelled and so was the second and third flight. After some aggressive negotiations with Northwest, they finally found a flight to Denver.

Ten hours later, three dissimilar planes, two dissimilar airlines and lost luggage I made it to my hotel. Yes, while all the shuffling around and cancelled flights the kid behind the counter told me that my bag never left Memphis..."Sorry," he said. All I had with me were the clothes on my back, briefcase and a sour taste in my mouth for Northwest Airlines.

Thank You Card Phrases

I needed clean clothes...maybe the hotel could help. The nice young lady (15 years old at best) behind the hotel counter told me in fact where the washer and dryers were. I asked if room aid could launder my clothes for me. She rambled off something about firm policy...of course she didn't have a clue what I was asking. I told her that I didn't mind walking around the hotel naked while my clothes were washing, but some of the other guests might. finally she got the message. A cab was called so I could do some last wee shopping at Target.

buyer aid - Where Did It Go?

Heading Home...

My firm was done. Time to go home. I stood there shoeless in the safety line, as I watched the safety guard drag out my dirty socks from my computer brief case. I know everyone saw me blush. "Should have thrown those away", I thought. Just before boarding my plane back to Memphis, my cell phone rang. "Sir, great news...your bag just arrived in Denver." Problem. I was about to board my plane and baggage claim was three train rides and someone else long humiliating wait through the safety line. "My plane leaves in 10 minutes!" They said for my 'convenience'' they would put my bag on the next plane to Memphis. This was the last time I would ever use Northwest Airlines.

You have had similar experiences. I would also bet that most of you have had problems pumping your own gas, or have had to bag your own groceries...better yet check yourself out in line. You have had flights delayed, rental cars break down, the waitress forget your order, or my popular -- you have called 'Customer Service' and talked to a recording for 30 minutes. At least I hope you have experienced poor service...I would hate to think that I am the only one. What has this rant about Northwest Airlines and poor customer aid have to do with the Mechanical industry? I am getting to that. Be patient, or I will make you listen to a recording for 30 minutes before getting to my point. Just kidding...keep reading.

This summer was a hot one. narrative temperatures where set in Memphis for sure. We had weeks without rain and weeks with temperatures between 97°-106° F. Air Conditioning tool all over the city never cycled off. They are of course manufactured machines, and, lets face it, man isn't perfect so neither is your Hvac equipment. Under such abuse they will break down. Hvac aid departments were busy, and as mechanical contractors we love the heat. This is the time where we Hvac aid providers can wipe the sweat from our brows with 0 dollar bills. It's also the time when good aid providers shine, and others fail.

Hot summers (like we have had in Memphis) will put an Hvac firm to the test. So in this edition of Mechanical Matters®, we will discuss ways to enhance customer service. Maybe your Hvac firm let you down, or maybe you let person down in your business. If so please keep reading.

"The goal as a firm is to have customer aid that is not just the best, but legendary." - Sam Walton

Below are my five most important Do's and Don'ts in customer Service. Apply them when selecting an Hvac aid provider, or great yet apply them to your firm and you will be amazed how fast your firm will prosper:

1. "Honesty And Action"

Sometimes in the 'service' firm you will have bad news for you customer. Maybe, an order wasn't shipped on time, the delivery truck broke down, or the premise sent your customer apples instead of oranges. How do you tell the customer?

Don't avoid their phone calls or pass them off to the factory's hotline for complaints.

Do call them first before they receive the bad news on their own. Instead of avoiding the situation entirely, face the music. Tell them you wanted to be the first to let them know that their order is wrong, and you are actively development every attempt to exact it.

Sure you will get an ear full from the customer, but I can assure you that honesty and operation will go a long way with your customer. If you are proactive your customer will observation a incompatibility between you and the other guy who cowardly turned his phone off until the dust settled.

2. "Never Say Sorry"

This is a tough one, and it may sound a bit arrogant, so let me explain. Saying you're 'sorry' to person is just that...you are confirming that you are a sorry person for letting this happen to them.

Don't say, "I am so sorry we did not get a technician out today. We are working as fast as we can to free person up. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to call."

Do say, "We have a technician scheduled for first thing in the morning rather than this afternoon as planned. Jim (technician) will be there at 7:00 am sharp. For your inconvenience, we will deduct our truck payment from your bill. Please call me direct at 123-456-7890 if you have any further questions."

You decide. Does admitting your mistake with an "I'm sorry" attached to it sound better? Or does simply admitting your mistake, following it up with a exact plan of action, and giving your direct phone amount sound better? Remember it is great to face your mistake immediately and be honest. Don't make up excuses and don't apologize. In the firm world apologies can often lead one to believe you in fact could care less. This however, doesn't apply to house and friends. If you let a house or friend down, and you are sincere, then by all means apologize. You don't live or sleep with your customer. They don't need an apology, they just want results!

3. "Follow Up"

One of the most important phrases in the firm world is ensue up. More customers fire their aid providers over poor ensue up than whatever else. Knowing that your sales representative is going to ensue up on your order confirms that he or she will also ensue through.

Don't assume that the customer is in the loop on the repairs status, parts ordered, shipping lead times, job completion...

Do make a point to ensue up with the customer on all of their needs. Do make a point to let the boss (the customer) know that you are on top of it. Give them a call ahead of time with details about their order...send a quick email.

Following up takes time, but you and the customer will benefit. Example: "Hey I wanted to let you know that we will be sending a technician out soon. I have met with dispatch and she gave me a 30 wee Eta." ensue up is the key to any success. You might want to take a break from this reading and ensue up with...

4. "Thank You"

Your boss is not in fact the one who signs your paycheck...your customer is. Sure your boss gave you the job, but he wouldn't have a job to give if it weren't for the customer. You can never say thank you enough. Let me repeat. You can never say thank you enough.

Don't say thank you only when an order is placed.

Do say thank you every time you get a chance. Say thank you for the appointment. Say thank you for the opportunity. Say thank you for the aid call. Say thank you when they least expect it.

In my perceive I have found this to be especially true when I send a hand written thank you card in the mail...yes the quarterly mail, not email. I have even seen my thank you cards hanging on the walls in my client's office. Why? Because know one does that anymore...its a lost art. Say thank you, say it today and say it often.

5. "Feedback"

You are perfect. Your firm has the best product on the market, or your firm offers the quickest aid response in town. But, you are losing customers. The phone isn't ringing as much anymore. Why, because you never asked the customer for feedback.

Don't deliver your goods or aid and expect that all went as planned. Don't assume that your product (which of course is the best on the market) surpassed all of your customer's expectations.

Do ask for feedback after the sale. "If we could have made your perceive with us any better, what should we have done? Now that you have your new Hvac unit what else can we do to enhance your comfort?"

You may receive negative feedback. That's ok. Without the negative feedback, we never know how to grow. Whenever my daughter bumps an elbow, scrapes a knee or makes a mistake, I ask, "Why do we fall down? So we can learn how to pick ourselves up." Feedback is so requisite to customer aid and growth. When you ask for feedback and you the customer said that did exceed their expectation, ask for it in writing...that's called a testimonial, and they are Golden!

I noticed my grandmother struggling to replace her newly purchased watch band. "In the good ole days, the clerk would have replaced this for me", she said. Yeah right granny...time is money, right? Right, take the time to be honest, take action, ensue up, say thank you, get feedback and you will be successful.

This summer I was guilty of a few of the Don'ts listed above. I wrote this narrative for my own wake up call. I will be taken someone else firm trip soon and I may fly with Northwest. "Huh, after that horrible perceive the last time?" Well, that story didn't end in total disaster.

The young man, whose name I never knew, who took my mark before boarding my plane home, over heard my phone conversation with baggage claim. As the plane's engines revved up and we began to back away from the gate, a large knocking noise was heard. I was in first class and close to the door, so I was startled. The plane stopped at once and the door opened. person was either in fact late or there is a problem. The young man, who took my mark burst in, sweating and out of breath. He came right to my seat and said, "Sir is this your bag?"

To this day I have no idea how that young man with Northwest Airlines was able to go from my gate to baggage claim and back in 10 minutes. I took a 10 wee train ride and 45 wee safety line wait one way. however possible, he did. He heard my rant on the phone. He heard me say I will never fly with Northwest again and he did something. That is customer service. I wish I knew his name, because regardless of all the mistakes that Northwest Airlines had made that trip, his ensue up, his operation and his thank you just may keep me as a customer.

"Customer aid may still be alive...but its pulse is weak."

Many of you reading this are my customer or my prospect, and I want to say thank you for selecting to do firm with me. Please let me know what I can do to make your perceive great the next time you call. I know this edition of Mechanical Matters® was some what out of the norm, but don't worry. Next month I will be talking about in fact inviting topics like boiler start-up and chiller maintenance... I know you can't wait. ;-)

"Until next time, remember to leave the Mechanical Matters® to us!"

buyer aid - Where Did It Go?YYCCC 2010-11-08 Calgary City Council - November 8, 2010 Tube. Duration : 339.42 Mins.

Calgary's City Council sessions are recorded by the city for live broadcast (on SHAW channel 94, and a Windows Media stream), but NOT as a historical archive. This recording of Council's November 8th session was captured and uploaded to YouTube to illustrate how Nenshi's "Better Idea #8" (a more transparent City Council) can be achieved economically and efficiently. For details on my own work-flow, and my suggestions for the City of Calgary, please visit: gordonmcdowell.com Care about the environment, economy, or just love technology? Check out my documentary about the Liquid Fluoride Thorium Reactor! ThoriumRemix.com www.youtube.com

Tags: Calgary, City Council, Nov, November, 8th, 2010-11-08, council chamber, transparency, example, experiment, cc0, public domain, yyccc, betteryyc