There’s a glassware maker in the Northeast that makes stunning glassware, cutlery, handcrafted wooden and ceramic bowls and various other household accents. I usually buy their products as wedding gifts for friends. This past summer I purchased a ceramic bowl with my friend and his wife’s name, along with the date of their wedding, painted along the edge. It’s a gift that always seems to be well received.
Impeccable
The service at their store in Westport, Ct. is usually outstanding. Such was the case when I ordered this particular bowl. Surprisingly, that was not really the case once it was in the hands of their factory. It seemed to take an eternity before I received an email asking me to approve the placement, font and size of the lettering. The email was also referred to as “Second Request.” I emailed back the corrections that needed to be made along with a notation that this was in fact the “first request.” Days later, after numerous emails back and forth, the final approval was given and the bowl was eventually shipped.
A Nice Surprise
The gift was once again much appreciated by the bride and groom. Not long after the wedding I received a package in the mail. It was a pair of small glass candles with a note that read, “Thank You for your business. Best Regards, Cathy.” I thought to myself, “Now that was a nice touch!”
Undue Stress
Those of us in the service business place an undue amount of stress on ourselves. Understanding the importance of impeccable service sometimes creates a fallacy in our minds that we have to be perfect one hundred perecent of the time. Of course, rationally we realize that nobody is.
She Got it Right
Cathy got it right. There was no apology in the note nor did there need to be. Apologies are overrated. She knew that there were a number of mishaps along the way and that the most affective way in which for me to forgive them was by sending me a thank you note and a gift.
Our Best Gift
As realtors we should keep instances such as this in mind. Negative thoughts about yourself and condeming yourself for being less than perfect is counter productive. It actually impedes you from giving your client your best.
The art of impeccable customer service isn’t about always “getting it right” the first time. It’s having the professionalism and business acumen to understand how to atone for the times that you don’t.
What are your thoughts? Have you ever had an instance when a sales rep did a fabulous job of making amends?
Was their a time when they failed in that regard?
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I love this blog. It speaks clearly to the blanket of activities that covers our daily living. As a couple who frequents the same local restaurants on a regular basis, my husband and I are struck by the frequency of quite the opposite treatment…… the expectation of our “unconditional love” on the part of the restauranteur. We’ve experienced our reservation being given away to an older couple because they were old, followed by a directive wave of the hand to the bar to wait for the next table…. We’ve experienced long wait times before being waited on, because the restaurant is “slammed”, with the obvious focus on courting and securing NEW customers….We often say we must wear an “E” on our foreheads for “easy”. It begs the question of our loyalty. As it so happens, we like the friends, we like the atmosphere, and we obviously like the food. However, it is so important to remember that people come and go, establishments come and go….The lesson here is to never get “rusty” or “complacent”. Even though some listings in real estate take longer than others to sell, we must stay fresh. Stay alert. Keep our humor & encouragement. And keep in close touch with our clients! As for my husband and me, we have not experienced a class-act like Cathy. A drink sent over to the table would be a nice touch and would speak a 1000 silent words.
Amen to that Penelope!