Slowly beginning to come back to work life.  (I’ve got a few more days with a couple of wonderful, high energy, rather demanding little girls).

But, a few thoughts on this, the second day after Christmas.  I have stolen some glances at a few web sites, and talked to relatives about holiday experiences.  So, here are some observations and lessons about customer service.  (We are all, after all, in some way, in the customer service business).

Observation #1 – mistakes will be made; you, and your company, will make mistakes!  Some of them are mistakes companies have no control over.  Others, they have plenty of control over…

I did practically all of my shopping on-line.  About 99.9% of it was from Amazon.  Only once did a package arrive (after the date promised) from Amazon, but it still arrived before I actually needed it.  So, no harm, no foul.  I’m a happy Amazon shopper.

But, I ordered a couple of packages from other on-line outlets.  One of them, ordered over the phone, arrived a few houses down — at a neighbor’s house.  They clearly took down my address one-digit wrong.  So, what did my neighbor do?  He called me, left it on his front porch, and I picked it up within minutes.  Good neighbors! are nice to have.

But the story reminded me of the brilliance of Amazon’s system.  They keep my address.  They keep my credit card. They make is so easy to order with one-click for every order.  And, the delay in arrival was not critical, and was not their fault.  {They have announced gift cards, and shipping refunds, to those who got packages late because of late deliveries (later than promised) by UPS}.

Observation #2 – When you make a mistake, please do not excuse it, deny it – just apologize, and try to make it right.  And, by the way, your tone and your words of apology matter.

Let me tell a close-to-home story.  We had a house full of relatives.  I needed two additional items from my local grocery store on Christmas Eve.  I called the store, found out that they closed at 8:00 (it was on their recording).  The store is right around the corner, and I arrived at 7:57 for two items.  No one was allowed into the store  (I was not alone in my frustration).  I held up the exact time to show the person keeping people out at the door, (iPhones are good for that), but the within-eye-sight store manager physically turned his back on me.  I found out that they had not let anyone in the store after 7:50.  I was not happy,

So, yesterday (Dec. 26), I went to the store for a few items, and talked to the manager (not the same one as on duty on Christmas Eve).  I told him my story, and recommended simply that they should have had on their recording that the store was closing at 7:45.  It was the violation of the expectation of an actual 8:00 pm closing that triggered my frustration.

His response was pitch perfect.  His tone was one of apology.  His words were the words of apology (“That should not have happened.  I apologize.”).  And I felt listened to, and respected.

Observation #3 – Communicate as fully as possible with your customers as the problem is being dealt with.  Don’t hide what you know – what they want to know.

This was not me, but a relative — from a few months back.  He had flown on a business flight.  The plane was over five hours late taking off. Not once did any ticket agent offer any explanation.  And, once on the plane, no word of apology, and a pretty heavy dose of general “rudeness” from the flight attendants.

To put it mildly, he is now actively seeking other air lines for his travel – even if it means giving up some direct flights – just because of  the taste in his mouth from that experience.  (It was not his first bad experience with that air line).

Some lessons:

#1 – You will make mistakes – prepare in advance for the mistakes you will make.

#2 – When you make a mistake, acknowledge it as a mistake, and apologize.  With a respectful listening ear, and a genuinely apologetic tone.  (Nice; responsive; respectful – then problem solving).

#3 – And, keep your customers informed in a timely way about the details of the situation – do not hide bad news!  Customers really do want to know the what and the why, and a responsive company provides both.

And, #4 – for me, decide to arrive much earlier on Christmas Eve for any last minute shopping.

Back at more regular blogging soon.  Happy New Year!