Support Analytics Blog

Occasionally, here at Support Analytics, we like to share an experience with you in an effort to pass on some valuable [hopefully] insights.  This is a real story that actually happened a few weeks ago. 

I answered the phone to find a sales person on the other end asking to speak with the head of household, which was my first clue there was going to be a sales pitch coming.  I’m not sure what kept me on the phone because the only thing the caller usually hears at that point is the click of me hanging up.  Reluctantly, I said this was the head of the household (my wife may disagree, but that’s for another post).

After that response, it all became a blur.  The woman talked so fast and word-for-word from a script about how now was the best time to get replacement windows and their company was the best … blah, blah, blah.  I tried to get a quick, “not interested” reply in, but she was so fast in talking, I couldn’t get a word in.  I really wasn’t interested because I just purchased new windows six months ago.  Finally, I tried to interrupt with a, “Miss”, but she wasn’t even fazed.  She kept up at a blinding speed apparently in the “zone”.  Getting annoyed, I said again and louder, “MISS”, which again went unanswered.  Finally, I was really annoyed and just said “STOP” in the phone.  She seemed to be taken back a bit and stopped her tirade.  I informed her that I just bought new windows and was not interested.  Click!

Here is where the lesson comes into play.

If this woman had been nice, spoke in conversation or just a polite manner, I may have shared with her that everyone on our street is probably in the market for new windows because of all the houses are 20 years old with poor initial windows installed.  Also, I may have given her the names of probably five neighbors that I knew were interested in windows.  At almost $20k each, I guess that one call was a missed $100k opportunity for that sales person. 

If she merely asked nicely if I was interested and spoke in a civil manner, I may have shared this information with her.  Those sales probably would have made her year’s quota or at least a nice bonus. 

My guess is that she gets paid by the number of calls she makes or the amount of time she keeps someone on the line, which is a BIG mistake.  Compensation should be based on value and not an arbitrary number that may promote bad behaviors such as this one.  If all else fails, just be nice because it can go a long way.

Here’s the list of participants to date for the DSA Insights Post Project.  As more enter the project, this list will be updated.  Thank you to everyone who participated!

• Changes to Charting in Excel 2007 by Jon Peltier at Peltier Technical Services
• Weekend Minis… by Nathan Yau at FlowingData
• SPAM by Tony Rose at Support Analytics (not eligible for prize)
• 5 Ways to Promote Your Business Online by Andrea Coutu at Consultant Journal
• Analytics: No one can agree on what it means by James Taylor at Smart [enough] Systems

Get your submissions in before the deadline on Friday at midnight. 

If you are already blogging, feel free to submit a post to me for consideration in this project and to win a prize!  Click here to submit a post.  Based on the feedback I have received and the gracious offerings from some excellent Authors, there will be more DSA Projects in the future.  Plus, who doesn’t like to get free things?

Announcement:
It’s time for DSA Insights to announce an opportunity to win a prize in a way that should be fun, exciting and valuable to our readers. There are two prizes to be claimed, which are:

1st Prize (choice of one):

• The Visual Display of Quantitative Information, Edward Tufte
• Show Me the Numbers, Stephen Few
• Million Dollar Consulting (TM) Toolkit, Alan Weiss, Ph D.
• Amazon $25 gift card

2nd Prize:

• Amazon $20 gift card

Theme:
Your task is to write a new post in your blog that is themed, “The most important thing I know about__(Enter a topic below)__, is ___.”
Available topics that follow the theme of DSA Insights are:

• Analytics
• Business Intelligence
• Consulting
• Data Visualization
• Info Visualization
• Excel
• Blogging (new 5/2)

Instructions:
Note: old posts written before today will not be accepted.

1. Write – Write a post using the theme and filling in the blanks:
   1. If you don’t have a blog, I will consider submissions for guest posts to this blog and, if chosen, it will qualify for one of the prizes listed. DSA Insights reserves the right to include/exclude posts submitted via this method at our discretion.
   2. Maximum of 3 entries allowed per person – this is per person and not per blog. If submitting more than one blog post, it has to be on a different topic.
   3. Maximum of 5 referrals will count towards the prizes.
   4. Please keep it clean and family friendly.
   5. It can be funny, serious, an essay, video, podcast, list, tip, trick, picture, etc.
   6. Give your post a good title as it will be the only text listed in this blog as a submission.
   7. Please consider a link-back to this post in your post so that your readers can participate or know that you are participating.
2. Submit – Once you have written and posted the new entry to your blog follow these instructions to participate. Submit your post to me by sending me an email using my contact form found here. Include:
   1. Name (as you want it to appear in my blog)
   2. Email address (must be valid)
   3. Message subject: DSA Post Project
   4. Title of your blog post
   5. URL of your post
   6. Referral – optional (who told you about this post)
3. Spread the word – Tell others about this post and if they participate you will receive 1 entry for each referral up to a maximum of 5.
4. Check back – All valid submissions will be included in a cumulative list in a separate post.
5. Have fun! Surf the submissions, inter-link between participating bloggers, post your favorite or top 5 submissions, and tell everyone you know about this opportunity! If you take full advantage of this opportunity, you will have up to 8 chances to win a prize.

Timeline:
Begins:
Thursday, May 1 (today)

Ends:
Friday, May 16 - end of day your time zone.

Winners Announced:
Monday 19 May – I will announce the two winners in a featured blog post. All entries (up to eight) will be listed and two different people will be selected at random.

Winners will be contacted and will need to provide a valid U.S. mailing address if a book is selected as the prize. International winners will default to an Amazon gift card delivered via e-mail.

According to the 2008 Customer Service survey that JD Power & Associates administered, a few of the companies that scored the highest were: USAA (#1), Starbucks (#6) and Nordstrom (#16).

My last post appears to have been perfect timing to this press release. After a great experience at Nordstrom, I was not shocked to see them in the top twenty. Equally not as shocking was the company listed in the top spot, USAA, which I am a proud member and appreciate every bit of their excellent customer service.

BusinessWeek has the list of the top 50, which can be found here. These companies are doing things that separate them from the pack, which many executives could do well to mimic. You probably won’t find any bargain-type companies on the list, but you will find high-quality, elite service and no hassles.

Do you want to know the difference between Macy’s and Nordstrom? Try returning something! Yes, I know you will probably pay more at Nordstrom. But, I’m willing to bet you’ve heard the phrase, “you get what you pay for”, which applies here.

Macy’s:

Returns:

After Christmas, I needed to return a few things at Macy’s. I walked into the store with my wife and 2-year old daughter. I went to the first counter I saw after going into the store, which happened to be the Men’s Department. Here is what ensued:

Me: [to the Sales person behind the counter] “I would like to return a few things.”

Employee: [taking my bag] “Sure, let’s see what you have.”

Me: “Men’s pants, men’s shoes, women’s shirt.”

Employee: “I can take the pants, but you need to return the other items to their respective departments.”

Me: “Are you serious? I just want a store credit?”

Employee: “Yes, it’s the only way you can get the correct price for each item.”

Note: You can purchase an item from any department at any register in the store (getting the correct price), but only return items to the corresponding department! I’m not a department store expert, but I am an expert in data and something doesn’t make sense here.

Me: Hmmm, that doesn’t make sense. “Is there a customer service counter I can take them all to?”

Employee: “No, they don’t take returns.”

Me: [rhetorical] “What do they do in customer service?”

Me: “That’s absurd. Does that make sense or seem like good customer service to you?”

Employee: “Yes, you want to be refunded the right price, right?”

It took about 40 minutes to wait in line at each of the different departments to return my items. You can be assured that I will never shop at Macy’s again. I can only assume that the reason they don’t take back items from other departments is because they are too lazy to have to walk items to the other areas.

Sports Jacket:

On another occasion, I bought a Hilfiger sports jacked from Macy’s that was exactly in my price range – $200. After trying it on and the tailor making all of their chalk marks, I was told it would be ready in two weeks. Upon returning, the cashier scanned the jacket along with four other amounts totaling $250 [25% more than expected].

Me: “What are those charges for?”

Employee: “the tailoring.”

Me: “I thought the tailoring was included in the price.”

Employee: [with a sigh and disappointed look] “No sir, the tailoring is never included.”

Me: “They are at Nordstrom.”

Granted, I will probably pay more for the same item at Nordstrom (the tailoring is built into the price), but I feel a lot better when I’m not surprised.

Nordstrom:

Shoes:

A few years back, I purchased a pair of Kenneth Cole – Reaction dress shoes ($130) from Nordstrom. After a few months of wearing them a few times a week, the sole literally split in half. I was reluctant to take them back because they were worn, but thought they should have lasted much longer from normal wear.

Remember – this is months after the purchase.

Me: “I would like to return a pair of shoes that seem to be defective.” [showing him the shoes]

Employee: [taking the shoes] “Let me take a look. Wow, that shouldn’t have happened.”

Me: “Yeah, I know.”

Employee: “Would you like a refund or would you like another pair?”

Me: “It may be the style of shoe so I would like to look at some other styles and brands.”

Employee: “Sure, no problem.”

I ended up with a pair of Kenneth Cole (not Reaction) shoes ($200) that lasted years and were worn regularly. I pledged that I would only shop at Nordstrom for shoes in the future. They gained me as a loyal customer for life from that one transaction. Later, I learned that they have a no questions asked policy for returns.

Jeans:

On another recent occasion, a sales person sold me on a pair of Mavi ($150) jeans just because he was so helpful and friendly. I went into the store not even thinking about jeans. Try going into Macy’s and find someone that is willing to ring up your purchase. It’s a hassle…

Here is an excerpt from Nordstrom’s mission, which says it all:

“The company’s philosophy has remained unchanged for more than 100 years since its establishment by John W. Nordstrom in 1901: offer the customer the best possible service, selection, quality and value.” Click here for the source.

Conclusion:

I am willing to pay more, like many other customers, for a clean store, organized departments, extremely pleasant employees and no hassles or inconveniences. There is a good reason why Capital One is so successful with their No-Hassle Rewards Credit Card. I will never shop at Macy’s again.

No matter what business you are in, excellent customer service will help you win and keep loyal customers. Even when your prices are higher, people are willing to pay more for convenience, quality and peace of mind.

Recently, I made an appointment to get a passport for my daughter due to the new restrictions about U.S. travelers vacationing in the Bahamas. If you have ever tried to call the Post Office, you can empathize. The word NIGHTMARE comes to mind. I can’t tell you how many times I had to call just to get someone to answer the phone. I finally got someone to answer the phone and made my appointment for the next Monday at 10:30.

I arrived at the Post Office at exactly 10:30. The passport office door was closed and there was already one person in line ahead of me. Soon after I got in line, a family got in line behind me with their paperwork in-hand. I just assumed that they were running behind in appointments.

The Passport Warden exits his office with a family in tow and asks, “Who had the 10:30 appointment?” Surprisingly, I raise my hand along with the gentleman to my rear. The warden excused himself to get his appointment book (a notepad). When he returned, he said, “Mr. Rose?” I replied, “Yes, that’s me.” He claimed, “I had you down for 10:45″ and ushers the other family in.

I looked to my wife who gave me an icy glare about obviously getting the time wrong. Reading her mind, I said, “I’m positive it was for 10:30.” Finally, we got called in at about 11:00 and started the process, which only took about 10 minutes or so. I had a bad feeling when the Warden mumbled a comment to himself about the Patriots beating the Giants a day earlier. I also noticed Giants memorabilia on his desk. Of course, I just happened to wear a Patriots hat that day.

What really got me upset was when I saw the Warden’s appointment book (remember – notepad) that had in writing “Tony Rose – 10:30″. If it hadn’t been for needing an expedited passport and him controlling the paperwork, I would have immediately called him on his mistake. I could imagine telling him that he was wrong and finding my daughter’s paperwork in the wrong outbox (recycle bin).

My message here is this; if he had said, “I’m sorry, but I have inadvertently double booked. Who was here first?” All would have been well, even if I got there after the other family and still had to wait. Everyone makes mistakes. But, when you lie, making someone feel stupid thinking they can’t record the right time, that’s flat out wrong! I have made mistakes (though rare), but always take ownership, apologize and never make that mistake again. It goes a long way when you don’t try to lie, finagle, back pedal or play the blame game. Be humble, honest and never compromise your integrity.

[Stepping off soapbox]

As mentioned in an earlier post, Decision Support Analytics recently moved from Richmond, VA to Columbia, MD.  This was a move for the business as well as for my family.  Being that I work from home, I contacted my current cable/internet provider [Comcast] at least three weeks in advance to schedule the new services and a date for installation.  I needed to cancel everything at my old location and set up all of the new services at the new location.  Why they couldn’t just transfer the services is beyond me. 

What happened next utterly astonished me.  My appointment was between 12:00pm and 4:30pm on July 2^nd.  Normally, the wide window irritates me, but because I was going to be home anyway, I was okay with it.  Twelve o’clock comes and goes; Two o’clock comes and goes; Four-thirty comes and still no sign of the technician so I call the call center.  If you have ever called Comcast, you normally get a different person each time at which point you need to explain the problem from beginning to end.  Hence, the fiasco begins. 

4:30PM:

I explain to the Customer Service Representative that I had an appointment between 12:00pm and 4:30pm and it’s now 4:30pm and no one has come by.  I am informed that they can only see the appointment.  Once the actual day arrives, the information is transferred to their dispatcher who talks directly with the technician.  They won’t give you the dispatcher’s number so you can talk to them directly, that would be too logical.  They place me on hold for about 10-15 minutes while they reach the dispatcher and they in turn call the technician to see where they are.  The Rep comes back and says they were delayed and it will be around 5:00pm.

5:30PM

No one has shown up yet so I call Comcast back.  I talk to a different person because shifts have now changed, explain the ordeal again, and wait on hold another 10-15 minutes.  They come back and say they are still delayed and it will be about an hour.  However, they reassured me someone would be there tonight to get me set up.  You can see where this is going…

7:20PM

Still no technician and no one has called me at all today to give me any information.  At this point, I’m just a bit irate [hint of sarcasm], so I call them back and escalate the issue.  Now they say it will be another hour, but someone is DEFINITELY going to be by.  I have already explained that I work out of my house and it’s critical that I get up and running tonight.

9:00PM

[Patience shot] I started the process over again and contacted Customer Service.  What happened next absolutely astonished me!  After holding, so they could check with the dispatcher, the Rep comes back and says, “Mr. Rose, that job has been completed”.   Wait, it gets better… After about 30 minutes of me, (obviously upset) explaining to the Rep that no one came by and they obviously lied about completing the job, I suggested that they just get someone out first thing in the morning to complete the job.  That would be the correct solution, right?  Wrong!  Apparently, Comcast already lined up their jobs and confirmed them for the next day, July 3^rd.  Then they’re closed for the July 4^th holiday.  She explains that the next available appointment is July 5^th between 12:30 to 4:30.   I got heated, but never disrespectful, at that point.  I must have said that their solution was grossly unacceptable at least 20 times. 

I share this with you to illustrate all of the things NOT to do in customer service or designing business processes, which is related to an earlier post on good customer service at Walgreens and Ukrops.

I did get service installed on July 5^th and was pleased with the technician they sent.  I told them I wanted action taken on the first technician that lied.  In the end, I have service; with a customer credit of $75 for my aggravation.  That would have covered about 30 minutes of my time…  I probably shouldn’t ever have to pay another Comcast bill for the rest of my life to get over this debacle.

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