Is Your Company Creating ‘Phone Rage’?
OK, listen up readers: I really want your opinion on this.
I recently bought a new Apple MacBook Pro from the company’s Web site. But rather than get rid of my old Mac PowerBook, I decided to update it with the latest operating system. So during a routine check of the old Mac, I noticed it only has half the RAM that was in the machine when I originally purchased it.
I bought the PowerBook four years ago, and my warranty has long since expired. But hey, where’s the RAM that was supposed to be in my Mac?
So expecting nothing, I called Apple and apprised them of the situation. Not unexpectedly, the customer service representative (CSR) told me that my warranty was up — “It’s been four years after all! But let me check something out anyway,” she said. So she put me on hold for about six or seven minutes, although she did come back on the line a few times to be polite, which was good.
To make a long story short, this incredible CSR then came back on the line and told me she’d spoken with another department, and she’d like me to talk to them. From that point, it unfolded pretty quickly. I spoke for about a minute with someone in the customer care department, and the next thing I knew, I was being told that a 512K RAM chip was being shipped out to me immediately.
Looking back, I wish I’d gotten the name of the CSR who originally helped me. Whatever she did was above and beyond the call of duty.
If I wasn’t already a Mac fan, I’d certainly be now! Hey Apple, you managed to cement my relationship with you in one call. Bravo!
No Horror Story Here
The moral of the story? I’ve spent a great deal of time writing about customer service issues lately. From my time in this industry, I unfortunately can tell you many more customer service horror stories than positive ones like this. But this story was exceptional, so I had to share.
- Categories:
- Contact Centers
Jim Gilbert has had a storied career in direct and digital marketing resulting in a burning desire to tell stories that educate, inform, and inspire marketers to new heights of success.
After years of marketing consulting, Jim decided it was time to “put his money where his mouth was" and build his own e-commerce company, Premo Natural Products, with its flagship product, Premo Guard Bed Bug & Mite Sprays. Premo in its second year is poised to eclipse 100 percent growth.
Jim has been writing for Target Marketing Group since 2006, first on the pages of Catalog Success Magazine, then as the first blogger for its online division. Jim continues to write for Total Retail.
Along the way, Jim has led the Florida Direct Marketing Association as their Marketing Chair and then three-term President, been an Adjunct Professor of Direct and Digital marketing for Miami International University, and created a lecture series, “The 9 Immutable Laws of Social Media Marketing,” which he has presented across the country at conferences and universities.
