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Burst the Bubble: Bad Customer ServiceJune 1, 2009 Today I inaugurate an ongoing feature: Burst the Bubble. Things that make us sad in the Bubble Room -- anti-brand experiences, failed marketing ideas or what-were-they-thinking concepts. I'm inspired today because of two diametrically opposite customer service experiences I had this weekend. Good, even outstanding, customer service is the watchword for libraries, so emulating what is good and avoiding what is bad is an excellent strategy.Let's start with how the bubble burst. Like many of you, I spend my weekends on home projects. Given that it is spring I am inevitably drawn to the garden store on a sunny Saturday. I like to support the local businesses, but boy do they make it hard for me. I literally had to hurdle multiple obstacles to get to the plants: trying to park, maneuvering my cart over hoses strewn in my path, puddles, even a makeshift board that an employee accidently jammed into my foot. That burst the bubble for sure! My cart was loaded down with 8 bags of mulch and I asked for help getting into my car. They said no. And when I asked for a paper towel to wipe the mud from the bags off my hands, the cashier handed me a single sad little paper towel. Compare that with my experience the same day at a national chain hardware store. I was living every wife's nightmare -- my husband had sent me to the hardware with a long list of items most of which I had never heard of before (two gang old work box with fins and no nails). I approached the first employee I saw who escorted me through the entire store and gathered my items. It took ten minutes. Hummm. They also have a garden section. I'm very tempted.... Today's public has high expectations for customer service, whether it is shopping, visiting a ball park or going to the library. And they have unforgiveable and long memories. To continue to keep their expectations inflated and not burst, we have to realize that every interaction every time is an opportunity to be on brand or not. It requires dilligence, commitment and awareness. Posted by Alison Circle on June 1, 2009 | Comments (5)
June 3, 2009
In response to: Burst the Bubble: Bad Customer Service Ellen commented: I happened to be in our director's office when a patron asked to speak with her about "that young fellow at the reference desk." We both released a happy sigh as he proceeded to sing the praises of "that young man" who had gone the extra mile to burn him a CD of open source software that would permit him to view DVDs on his older computer. He said you just don't see customer service like that anymore. He insisted that this librarian get a commendation, and as his supervisor, I did a spot review praising him for his exceptional customer service. That happy patron will take his positive library experience into the community, and "that young man" is about to be promoted, in part because of his customer service skills. Good for him, good for the library, and good for our community
June 3, 2009
In response to: Burst the Bubble: Bad Customer Service Dawn Huston commented: Please, previous poster Ellen, I know it's not on topic but could you post the name of the open source software for viewing DVDs on older computers?
June 3, 2009
In response to: Burst the Bubble: Bad Customer Service Ellen commented: Yes, Dawn. It's VLC Media Player and it is available for several platforms including older PCs that run on Windows 95/98/Me. You can find it at www.videolan.org/vlc
June 8, 2009
In response to: Burst the Bubble: Bad Customer Service Elizabeth commented: While I do concede that I have received poor customer service at national chain stores and good service at certain local stores, I have too many similar experiences where the employees - or even the owners - of the local stores have treated me badly. Partly, I think the people in those stores have never had formal customer service training, particularly if it's a business that's been in the family for years. I have been in Chamber of Commerce meetings where the local business owners are lamenting the economy and wanting to bring in customers, yet several people in the room had treated me rudely when I did go into their stores, so I can't help but think,"Well, maybe if you didn't treat people so badly, they'd actually want to spend their hard-earned money in your store." Why is this not common sense? Why should any small business owner need a formal customer service class to teach him/her how to treat customers with care and courtesy?
August 11, 2009
In response to: Burst the Bubble: Bad Customer Service Optittals commented: hey. ive been poring over this site for a bit it was time to say hi to everyone.
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