Oooooooh how I love me some excellent customer service! Seriously, in a consumer driven society shouldn’t we be getting this all the freakin’ time anyways? (the answer is Yes). Being a Customer Service Manager myself, I understand and appreciate the role the customer plays – without them, I wouldn’t be sitting here right now typing away on my work’s computer ;) Shhhh…

But the sad truth is that there are some real big idiots representing companies out there, and most of them flat out suck. But why? I mean, our whole job is to help out the CUSTOMER! That’s our #1 goal, to make sure they’re happy – or at least resolve whatever it is they have an issue with. It’s really not that hard. But I digress.

Today’s post is more about those sexy reps who know their ish, and know how to treat their lifeline. Unlike those flying mythical unicorns, GOOD customer service agents are in fact out there :) And I’ve been lucky enough to come across a few lately! Sometimes you might only be able to find them by speaking up, but they do exist.

Here are two recent stories that restore my faith in people, all relating to finance of course:

1. Amazon.com – Always a pleasure to work with, whether directly w/ them, or with a private seller using their store solutions. I recently ordered the book “Your Money or Your Life” through Portland Books, and let me tell you something, these people don’t mess around! I unfortunately got an older version of the book, probably due to my own fault, and within hours of emailing them they offered to give me 100% of my money back! I responded that i actually don’t need that, I just wanted mail it back for the newer one, and they said ” Oh, well i already returned it – so just keep the book anyways :)”. DAMN Gina! A+++ service.
2. ProductsWithPersonality.com – I have two love stories with them. The first was when a pair of cuff links I ordered arrived w/ tiny dents in them. Not the biggest of issues, but since i was giving them away as presents, it’s kinda tacky. I emailed over and an associate named Heather apologized quickly and sent out another pair to replace them, again stating I could keep the others! (if anyone would like them, just holler and they’re yours – they’re currently sitting on my desk collecting dust). The 2nd part was that I had to place a second order for only 1 pair of cufflinks as I had left someone out the first go around – totally my own fault. But the shipping was the same $7 bucks whether i ordered 1 or 10. So, being the frugal one I am, I shot over another email on the off chance they’d hook me up with a discount. And they did! They actually just wiped the entire charge off, so I ended up paying $0 for shipping :) That’s what I call “above and beyond”.

Great customer service IS out there, but you’ll have to do your part sometimes too. It’s all about relaying over your problems in a way that allows the rep to actually HELP you. Take it from me, if you call in and immediately start bitching the second I pick up, the last thing I’m gonna want to do is help you (remember, you called ME for help in this case). I’ll still help you cuz it’s my job, but you better calm down a bit ;)

It’s also good to offer ways in which agents can address your complaints. If you tell them their products are crappy and you’d like them to “do something about it”, don’t expect great results. Instead, let them know what you’d like to see happen and be calm about it. If it doesn’t work, you can always do the popular thing and simply ask for a manager. And who knows, maybe you’ll get lucky and I’ll be the one who picks up! Awwww yeahhhhh.