Eventful week here for me: I started my job at Under Armour working as a customer service rep. I'm excited to get through training and really start working. I like talking to people and helping them sort through their issues. It's fun to be in an environment where innovation and customer service are at the forefront of everything that happens. I've been with companies where customer service is not a primary concern and frankly it is very hard to work in those situations.
Customer service is so essential to the modern day business. With social and print media, it's very hard to hide negative information from the public. If the service you provide does not match the quality of your product, people will find another avenue to fulfill their needs. You hear many stories about restaurants dealing with customer service. A certain eatery may have the best pizza in town, but if the waiters and cooks are rude and snobbish, people will find another place that serves good pizza.
My dad and I had a conversation about this very topic this morning (we attempted to vote so that I wouldn't have to wake up early on election day...only to find out it would be a 4 hour wait at our local community center...we decided we'd give it a go on another day). He told me a story about when my grandfather had passed away and he had forgotten to cancel a business flight from American Airlines (AA) during the time of the funeral. He called AA after everything had settled down to see if he could somehow find a way to get credited back the money he had spent on the flight he did not fly. Basically, the agent he talked to flatly rejected his request even when my dad had explained to her the situation he had just been through. She told my dad that it was his fault for not canceling the flight sooner and that was it. Now, it was my dad's fault for not canceling the flight but given the certain situation he was going through, there is a certain level of human sympathy that should have be shown. But to this AA agent, she did not want to take the time or put forth the effort to assist my dad and go above what was expected of her to make my dad's experience exemplary.
We've all experienced situations such as this at one point in time or another. I've had the honor of working for the Walt Disney Company which gave me a 3 month long exhibition of giving outstanding customer service to everyone who comes in contact with the Disney name. That's how Disney has been able to stay on top of the Entertainment industry for so long and in such a dominating fashion. Disney truly believes the magic is in their people or as they say, "cast members." People provide the magic of Disney for the millions of people who come to DisneyWorld, DisneyLand and all the other Disney facets throughout the world. Customer service is key. It's that simple. I won't talk too much about Disney...I talk enough about the mouse enough haha.
To finish up that conversation with my dad, we both agreed we don't understand how companies seem to skip over customer service when it comes to business practices. What's the point of making one sale when you lose a customer for life because of your poor service? I hope to start my own company one day, no idea what it will entail. But I know this, I will make it a point to have the best customer service possible. As a human being, as a christian, I want to treat people with the utmost respect; for I wish to be treated with the utmost respect by others.
Here's some music I've been digging lately:
Cray Button ft. Lecrae - Family Force Five
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0rX23_xaWjU
Little Talks - Of Monsters And Men
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghb6eDopW8I (bizarre music video, you've been warned)
Blessed Redeemer - Casting Crowns
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bzk0ygdAABM
Tim
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