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The Sales Cycle: Customer Service

Editor's Note: This column originally appeared in the August 2012 issue of SMT Magazine.

Have you noticed how people will often go out of their way to help friends? Businesses also take extra steps to help their friends--the customers they know, who are nice people. On the other side of that coin is the problem of the difficult customer. Such customers tend to receive only the minimum level of service, leaving those in the middle to be just that. If you are a customer looking to get the best overall service and value possible from key suppliers, maybe being a nice friend is the best path to receiving that top-level customer service.

I think this concept goes beyond just nice-customer customer service and goes into building a true friendship with customers. By doing so you really look out for them and contact them when a great opportunity comes along that will help them achieve their goals. An unfriendly customer--the kind who tries to look for any reason to ask for a discount or tries to get more for free--is not the kind of customer most want to call to share that new idea or special opportunity.

As a customer, the choice is yours. Which customer do you want to be? One that your supplier really looks out for, or one that your supplier avoids? Maybe you are somewhere in the middle…the taken-for-granted customer. Well, I think we all expect at least that, but it’s how you interact with a vendor that really dictates what level of service you’ll receive. It has been proven time after time that the nice and friendly customers get a better overall value and service experience from vendors. Imagine going to nice restaurant for dinner; you know the place--the line is long and the wait time is well over 40 minutes. While you’re waiting for a table in walks a group of people who are clearly friends of the restaurant staff. They are warmly greeted (by first name) and promptly seated at a great table where drink orders are immediately taken. Meanwhile you are still waiting for your buzzer to go off. During your wait, you notice that the head chef has come out to the group’s table with a couple of complimentary appetizers in hand. That group, the friends, is really enjoying their dining experience.

During the group’s main course your buzzer finally buzzes and you get seated. Not a great table, but after 40 minutes it will do. Unfortunately, the guy who was complaining to his dining partner (and everyone else in line) about the wait time is seated adjacently. His complaining does not subside once seated…he immediately begins complaining about the table location. He also finds a glass with a small water spot on it. Great. More to complain about! You glance over and see that the table of restaurant friends is being served a beautiful dessert and enjoying another table-side visit from the chef who thanks them for their friendship.

As your main course arrives you overhear the complainer lamenting to his dining partner about customer service as if he’s an expert. At the friends’ table the bill arrives and they seem very happy to pay it. They notice the check makes no mention of the tasty appetizers they enjoyed or that first round of drinks. It’s no surprise that they leave a very generous tip. As they leave, you see smiles all around--they had an amazing dinner. Of course they did: They experienced great food and a wonderful visit with good friends. Meanwhile, the complainer calls over his waitress and asks to speak to the manager. Oh boy, this can’t be good.

While the complainer speaks to the manager in an angry and loud tone it’s clear he came in intent on finding something to complain about to get a discount or, even better, a free meal. When the manager offers the discount, only to defuse the situation, the complainer sits back with a slight look of satisfaction in his eyes, as if he has won something worth winning, while his dining partner seems more embarrassed than anything else.

The complainer may have received a discount, but he lost out on so much more. He missed out on all the great and friendly service. The friends of the restaurant were warmly welcomed and had such a tremendous experience, whereas the complainer and his guest did not have a great time, nor were they invited back. At the end of dinner both parties walked out with discounted bills; the only difference is how they approached the situation. You get what you pay for.

It’s unfortunate that service levels are not the same across the board, but the truth of the matter is that no one really wants a bad customer and everyone loves a great customer. Should the goal then be to only do business with nice people? Perhaps, but it doesn’t seem like we always have a choice. Keep in mind that enough money can also buy any level of customer service you want--regardless of attitude. Just because you a buy a service doesn’t mean it’s service from the heart.