Customer Service is not rocket science; it’s really not even slightly difficult. Yet it never ceases to amaze me at the companies that are doing it horribly wrong.
Take for example my recent experience with Papa Johns. I placed an order online Friday night and within 20 minutes my doorbell was ringing. Twenty minutes on a Friday night is exceptional, and I was excited about the bacon cheese sticks.
As my husband and I sit down to enjoy our pie I start smelling the unmistakable aroma of bell peppers. The all meat pizza I ordered is smorgasbord of vegetables. Yuck. The bacon cheese sticks were, as they say, slap your momma good.
I called up to the local store to be told by a young woman that they would remake my pizza and get it out to me in about an hour. I asked why the delay given we’d already placed the order and it was not what we received. Her response was they are short handed and “It’s like Friday night”. I politely (honest) asked for a full refund. I’m then told she doesn’t know how to do that since I paid with a Visa so I’ll have to hold.
When she comes back all I’m told is “Ok, thanks bye now”. Insert me counting down from 10 here. I called back and get “Hold please”. I hate that. So I hung up and called back. When she answered I started talking. After arguing with her about how she didn’t really hang up on me, I must have hallucinated that in my hunger, I asked for a manager.
The manager tells me that they are very busy, it’s Friday night and he’s short handed.
Not once did I hear an apology for the mix up. Not once did they ask what they could do to make the experience a better. Not even after I told the manager that his employee had the worst customer service I’ve ever encountered.
Customer service is not hard. We all screw things up, its part of being human. When the customer calls out your screw up, do what ever it takes to make it right; even if it means apologizing for something that isn’t your fault. And for crying out loud, teach your employees to never hang up on customers.
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great post April. I agree that customer service is a thing that has fallen off in terms of deliverables (sorry for the pun) in these days. It is something that makes me give up on many places, never to return. It shows a lack of training for the employees and a lack of commitment by the managers. Several famous nationwide companies have lost my patronage, if they even care.
One point I disagree with is having to apologize for things that aren’t your fault. I spent a number of years in retail management and I would rather lose a customer than cut the legs out from one of my employees who was right, something the customer not always is. Hmmm, maybe that is why I am not in retail anymore.
Glad to hear those breadsticks were good and I don’t like green pepper either.
@John – I completely agree that sometimes the customer is not always right. Hearing at minimum “I apologize for the inconvenience/mixup” can calm a sticky situation. I did that many times when I worked retail.
April, amazing how such bad experiences make for such good lessons, there is always that silver lining. Have you considered sending a copy of this missive to the coporate headquarters of Papa Johns? I bet with a few more details your online “review” will garner not only an apology but a coupon for a well-deserved free pie. Just maybe the message will be conveyed to the franchise that they need to get their act together, and with more than one Papa Johns out there, you could use your coupon to get them to finally get it right. Just my 2 cents. CB. P.S. If nothing else call VISA and tell them to remove the charge since the vendor failed to deliver what you ordered. Yet another way to put Pops on notice…
I think customer service breaks down into two things:
1) Focus by the employee
2) Care by the employee
When they get lazy or don’t care about their customers or think in their shoes, it goes to hell.
Great post and I’m with you! I absolutely think an apology smooths things over quite quickly. All the customer is looking for is an acknowledgment of the mistake made (whether on purpose or accidentally). It shows compassion for your customer. Hanging up, does not.
I’ve worked in management in retail as well and apologizing for a mistake was never a problem for me. I’ve always said: “Acknowledge the mistake was made then do what it takes to correct it.” I live by this rule. We are all human, and we all make silly mistakes sometimes. No biggie. It only turns to something big when you don’t acknowledge it and make it right. It’s that simple.