Typically, I simply shake my head in amazement on the “customer support” I obtain. Fortunately, I hardly ever obtain poor service in a pizzeria. In truth, I visited each ends of the customer support spectrum this week — and the pizza store was on the profitable finish.
Let’s begin with the dangerous, lets? Like many individuals, my dwelling telephone, Web and cable tv connections are all sourced to 1 firm. The bundle saves me cash each month, and I haven’t had a lot hassle with my service. Till lately.
My dwelling telephone stopped engaged on a Thursday night time. On Friday, I referred to as my service supplier. It was late within the day, in order that they couldn’t get out to repair it that day. However they may ship somebody on Saturday. Sadly, I needed to be out of city on Saturday. I requested a Sunday appointment. I used to be instructed the corporate doesn’t make calls on Sunday, which I understood. So I took a Monday appointment. You already know the enjoyment: they’ll be there between 2:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. Good.
One downside: they by no means got here. So I referred to as to resolve it. I used to be instructed my appointment was really for Tuesday, not Monday. The considerably mechanical girl on the telephone defined to me that I by no means had an appointment scheduled for Monday. I had one scheduled for Sunday that I had been rescheduled to Tuesday.
“What?” I requested. “I assumed you didn’t do Sunday appointments.”
Because it seems, they do actually schedule Sunday appointments when the issue is the telephone, I used to be instructed. Now I used to be actually upset. My telephone might have been mounted on Sunday and I wouldn’t have needed to waste my time ready for the corporate to point out up on Monday solely to seek out out they made a scheduling error and weren’t coming till Tuesday.
It will get worse. An organization consultant reveals up on Tuesday and fixes my telephone in two minutes. After he’s gone I notice that although my telephone was up and working, my Web was now down for the depend. So I name customer support as soon as once more and am placed on maintain a number of occasions. Lastly, the issue will get mounted. Nobody had a very good reply for this query: “Shouldn’t the technician have checked that my Web and cable have been nonetheless working after he tinkered with the telephone?”
A number of nights later, I name my favourite pizzeria to position a pick-up order. The pleasant, perky voice on the road informs me that “We now have curbside service, sir. Would you want me to carry your meals out to your automotive?”
It was chilly and raining. A no brainer for me. I pull into the designated spot 25 minutes later. I barely had time to get the automobile into park earlier than the aforementioned worker was standing subsequent to my window, a giant smile on her face and two luggage of meals in her palms. I look as much as see how she noticed me so shortly and spot the digicam pointed in direction of the three curbside pickup parking spots. She obtained it proper the primary time and did so with a smile. I want my cable firm might be taught a lesson from my native pizzeria.
Greatest,
Jeremy White, editor-in-chief
jwhite@www.pizzatoday.com