A company that cares about customer service sends an apology when it inadvertently sends emails improperly addressed. For example, the JetBlue email I got this morning that apologized to customers for a systems SNAFU yesterday:
A company that doesn’t care about customer service can’t fix an error in the database used by its email marketing vendor, even after multiple requests from the customer, as reported in this post about my listing in the Avis email database. I got so sick of getting emails addressed to: GETGOOD that I unsubscribed and now primarily rent from Hertz.
A company that cares about customer service looks at the lifetime value of the customer, does what it can to make the customer happy when there’s an issue and follows up afterward. One that doesn’t won’t refund a $16.00 purchase of screen protectors that wouldn’t go on properly because you no longer have the original packaging.
In this case, it’s Verizon in both cases, but it’s the difference between Verizon customer service online (which has been GOOD whenever I call) and the local Verizon store. Customer service knows how much money we spend with Verizon for FIOS TV and Internet, a landline, a MiFi and three cell phones, two of which are smart phones with an Internet plan. The local store doesn’t give a tinker’s damn unless we are upgrading our phone.
How do you tell the difference between a company that cares about your business and one that doesn’t? And what do you do about it?
