We didn’t have to wait for Halloween this year for our first horror story. This is a classic.
My husband Bob has been driving back from Arizona . He delivered one of our products to a customer, installed it and is now nearing the last phase of a 36 hour drive from Phoenix Arizona to Vancouver Island, BC.
This road trip has been planned for a while. Given that Bob was driving home up the I5, he took the opportunity to call into some potential clients in San Francisco, collect some parts from suppliers, and the very last task on his list, was to collect a boat trailer that he and his friend Norm has ordered.
The boat trailer was custom ordered for their boat. The specifications had been clear, and the boat trailer company had assured all parties that the order was well within their capabilities. Norm duly paid half up front, and the other half was to be paid when the trailer was ready for pick up. Pick up date was today – the day that the boat trailer company had specified.
No problem. The date fit perfectly into Bob’s plans. He would pick up the boat trailer in the morning, head to the border, and hopefully be on the last ferry to the Island this evening.
No way. This is what occurred today.
Bob arrived at the boat trailer premises this morning at 8.30 am. he had been driving since 3.oo am, (and I suspect he hadn’t showered or shaved). The place was deserted. he got out, walked around, called out – no answer. Finally a man came out of a workshop and said “What do you want?”
“I’m here to pick up a trailer” said Bob.
“Oh” said the man ” We thought you were a Scrappy (scrap metal dealer)”…and he walked away.
Another man came out, a few minutes later (the owner, Bob found out)….and dragged out the trailer.
“That’s not what we ordered”, Bob said “and it’s not finished !” ( I wasn’t there, so I’m not sure how patient my husband was, or the tone of his voice)
“Well I can’t do anything about it now, I’m late for a meeting”. And the owner walked off.
Well phone calls were made, excuses given, and the result is that Bob has to wait another day before he can pick up the correctly built and finished trailer. Hopefully just ONE day!
So, the morals of this particular horror story are :
- Customers come in all shapes and sizes……and they should all be treated with respect.
My husband NEVER wears a suit and tie – and yes, after a few day’s driving, he may not look his best…..but what an assumption to make, and how RUDE ! Seriously, don’t be rude to your customers, or you soon won’t have any….isn’t that obvious?
- Deliver what you promised and what was paid for, in the time frame you specified
Another obvious one right? and, if you really want to impress……
- Under Promise and Over Deliver
Know how long it takes to fill an order, know how much inventory you have on hand, how long suppliers take to deliver, how long you need to assemble your product……then ADD ON MORE TIME as a contingency. Suppliers sometimes let you down, staff get sick….sh*t happens, so be prepared! And if it all goes well, you get to phone the customer to say that the order is ready early! How great is that for customer service?
- If sh*t happens – COMMUNICATE !!
All of this could have been avoided with one phone call. It would have been a little irritating, but Bob would have rearranged his time, gone to visit a few more clients….no problem!
- SAY SORRY!
Just that! Just “Sorry, we screwed up”. That’s all. Customers DON”T CARE about your staffing issues, they CERTAINLY don’t want to hear that their order was bumped because a bigger one came in, just SAY SORRY !!
I am sincerely hoping that this horror story doesn’t have a “Part 2″……, and my husband will be home with the trailer soon…
I’ll let you know the Ending!
