TECSYS : To “Wow” or Not to “Wow” is No Longer a Question

I don't know about you folks but I am getting pretty bored with satisfactory customer service. I must be becoming complacent because being satisfied just does not excite me anymore. I like to be 'wowed!' Actually, I LOVE to be 'wowed!' And when I am, I will come back for more.

Too often, when I go to a store, a restaurant, or take an airline, someone asks me if I was satisfied with my experience, if I received the service or the product I was expecting. My impulse is to say something like: 'Why are you asking? Did you actually think I might NOT be satisfied with your service or your product?'

A few days ago, I ordered something online - simple little things, burner caps to go on a gas stove. Now, things didn't start out well, because it took me a long time to dismantle the cooktop to discover that the model and serial numbers were conveniently located…under the cooktop! I was really not a happy camper to have to remove the seals and undo everything, but I had no choice.

Once I got the numbers, I called IKEA (where I had bought the thing) and, after 45 minutes of waiting on the line, I finally got the right person who told me to…call Whirlpool! Apparently, they handle the appliance support for IKEA. I had not been 'wowed' so far, I can tell you that much! But, I took my patience in hand and called Whirlpool.

Jamie from Whirlpool was great to talk to from the very first second! She asked how I was doing and what I needed, and after listening to my story she told me she would help me and make sure I would not have to worry about anything. My first thought was that she was overdoing it a bit, but I continued with my request and gave her the info she needed. She told me that she would have the caps shipped to me within the next five days, and because I had received such poor service so far there would be no charge! (The caps are about $25 each and there are 4 of them!) She said not to hesitate to call her again if anything was wrong or if I needed more help, and she gave me her extension number.

At this point, I was starting to be 'wowed' - she was doing a great job and I would have had a hard time complaining about her service. I thanked her, and told her that I was happy with how she had helped me out. The whole conversation took no more than 5 minutes and I spent no time waiting on the line.

The very next day, I was really 'wowed!' Fedex was at my door with the 4 burner caps, 3 different sizes, and they worked right away. 'WOW!'

Now having been 'wowed' like that was exciting and I realized I wanted more. It got me thinking, how often do we 'wow' our customers? They are folks just like me, and their expectations these days are just like mine. Are our customers tired of just being satisfied? Are they expecting more? I think so.

So, what am I going to do about it? Well, I am going to try harder at making a 'wow' experience for anyone that I can call a customer, internal or external. I am also going to look for people that 'wow' me as well, and I will make sure I tell them how great they are and how good they made my experience.

That's a start, anyway!

Tags:complacent, customer experience, customer service, excite, listen, listening, satisfactory, satisfied, support, Whirlpool, wow