BusinessCurious

Earlier this week, I received excellent service from my cellular phone provider.

No, that’s not a typo!

Cellphone technology and providers are so pervasive in our lives today and when you think of it, provide an unbelievable service. From getting a near-instant connection to 911 at an accident scene, to doing business or entertaining yourself…and if you are a teen — being able to send 21,836 text messages per month to tell your friends how bored you are — what was your life like before you got a cellphone?

Yet when was the last time you heard someone say, “My cellphone company? Oh, they’re awesome. Their calling and data plans are a great value, and their people are so knowledgeable and helpful. I own stock in them. Switch over to them as soon as you can.”

As a category, there are few businesses (at least in the USA) which are disliked so much that the opening line of news stories about them (like this one in Wired magazine) start with sentences like, “A turd by any other name is still a turd, but there’s no harm in counting the ways”.

Poor cellphone providers, so noble, yet recipients of so much scorn. Unfortunately, much of it well-deserved.

And I’m no exception. My current phone is a somewhat outdated but still useful Verizon Blackberry 8830 World Edition. A recent hand-me-up from my generous and technologically superior younger brother, I had no problem initially activating the device. Then things went downhill fast. Problems transferring the contacts from my previous phone. Then the email service wouldn’t work right. I could receive text messages but not send them. Phone calls, when finished, would not disconnect right away. Then the phone would hang and crash at random, the spinning hourglass triggering the rage I used to have upon seeing Microsoft Windows’ infamous Blue Screen of Death.

I was beginning to think my brother wasn’t so generous.

Just to get the thing to simply work took me through blackberry forums, Verizon’s website, their customer service line, tech support line, and eventually a personal visit to one of their stores.  And at least one interaction that caused me to cut off the “have you tried turning the phone off and on” rep in mid-sentence and slam down the phone in frustration. But eventually, I got the phone to function properly.

But I’m a believer in giving credit where it’s due. So I’m pleased to say that Verizon Wireless – with whom I’ve been a steady, though often reluctant, customer since 2002 – gets a gold star this week  for great behavior.

How so? Well, I wanted to unlock the phone so it would accept local SIM cards when used outside the U.S. That way I could use a local phone number (and pay local rates) when overseas.

I called their global support number, with patience in one hand and my phone’s IMEI number in the other. I got through immediately! The rep – let’s call him Bob – spoke English I could understand. Once I explained what I wanted, Bob explained how to get it — and he didn’t use a script! I didn’t have to ask for a supervisor. Furthermore, because our voice connection was bad, he asked if he could call me back – and did so within seconds, as promised. While we waited for the phone to reboot, Bob asked for my e-mail address so he could send me the Terms & Conditions for using an unlocked phone outside the network. I received it within seconds. He then explained why upgrading the phone to a newer model might be a good idea, since multi-band GSM technology has advanced since my phone was first released, and it would make it easier for me to make calls to and from different countries. I though it over, but said no thanks for now, and that was that. No hard sell. After a final systems check, Bob wrapped up and wished me luck on my upcoming trip.

Was I was on some strange Class M planet where something in the water makes call center staff competent and sincere? Did I stumble into a customer service black hole and emerge into some customer satisfaction champagne room? What did I do to deserve this?

Who knows and who cares – I should be thrilled right? Actually, I’m not.

That’s because my concierge level experience at Verizon Wireless has now made it a little harder for me to hate them. They have confused me. They were consistently terrible at worst, mediocre at best. Now I’m hoping for friendly, effective service every time. But something tells me this recent call was not typical. Why, Verizon, have you tormented me so?

I hope I’m proven wrong. I hope they hit a bull’s eye every time.

In the meantime, whether you own a company or work for one, is outstanding service baked into your organization as Standard Operating Procedure? If it isn’t, why not? Where are the weak links in your systems and culture?

If you are on the front line:

1) Listen
2) Pay attention
3) Speak your customer’s language (literally and figuratively)
4) Know your products.
5) Don’t be afraid to offer something of relevance or value.
6) Smile like you mean it.
7) If you don’t know the answer, just admit it. Then find it.
Say thank you.

If you are a manager or owner:

1) Hire the right people (You get what you pay for).
2) Train them
3) Trust them
4) Let them go off script
5) Reward them for great service

Why does it matter? It’s simple, decent service is not good enough. It doesn’t matter how big you are, or how long you’ve been in business. Today’s oligopoly can be tomorrow’s “dead brand walking”.