Do You Really Care?
I recently took my car in to have an anti-theft device fitted. The dealership had e-mailed me to let me know that thieves were now able to go in through the front headlight to gain access to the computer panel, and start the car – and thus steal it. This anti-theft device would cost me £70. I thought it was pretty good deal, so I took my vehicle to the dealership, at the allotted time, and on the allotted day (they had booked me in) – only to find that the part wasn’t available.
After much apologetic noises I was told they said they would book me in again when the part arrived. 1.5 hours after leaving home, I was back home again, having seen the petrol gauge take a little nudge in the downward direction from the wasted round trip, and 1.5 hours of my time that I would never get back.
As I sat sipping my morning cup of coffee I reflected on how some big companies think it is OK to not give great service, and we let them off the hook, by doing nothing about it.
I can only imagine – and quite fairly too, if one of our clients turned up for their meeting with me, and I said, “Oh, sorry, I haven’t got anything ready or prepared. You’ll have to come back on another day.” Quite fairly, I would be out of business pretty quickly – and rightly so. Yet big companies treat us with disdain, with a very laissez-faire attitude to service and experience, and we let them get away with it.
I believe the only thing necessary for the indifference of good customer experience to continue, is that good clients do nothing to the firm that treats them with indifference.
A corollary to this story:
So, later that day having pondered on my lost 1.5 hours and dipping fuel usage, I rang the vehicle company and asked to speak with the manager, Ray.
The conversation went something like this, “Hi Ray, it’s Pete O’Keeffe speaking, and I’ve been mulling over the lack of customer experience I received today and the frustration I feel at being told as I left that I would be booked in for another day. It seems big companies like yours think it is OK for my time to be impacted and my fuel to be used. (I was angling to get at least a £20 petrol voucher from them.)
Ray jumped in, “Pete, let me stop you right there. You’re right, we dropped the ball, and I had hoped Anthony would have rung you by now to let you know, we are going to fit the anti-theft device for free!”
Well, didn’t that stop me in my tracks! I certainly wasn’t expecting that answer and it certainly took the wind out of my sails, for what I was going to say next.
Instead I said, “Well Ray I sure as heck wasn’t expecting that answer, but genuinely, thank you. I appreciate what you are doing to fix this.”
Ray replied, “You’re welcome Pete, I’m only sorry Anthony hasn’t rung you already to let you know how we wanted to make it right by you. And also, one of my team who live near you will come and pick the car up and bring it into the workshop here, and return it later on in the day, so your time isn’t impacted any more than it already has.”
I was more than happy with this outcome, which I certainly wasn’t expecting.
I read some stats recently which absolutely shocked me and goes to what happened with this vehicle company.
Do a bad job – 48% of people will still recommend you.
Do a good job – 64% of people will recommend you to others.
b – 74% of people will recommend you!
Based on these stats then: every job we do, we should make a mess of it, then fix it, and we will get even more recommendations, than if we did it right first time!
It seems illogical to me, but if you can give me the answer as to why this is, I would be eternally grateful.
