Customer Experience: There is Nothing I Can Do

I think you will agree, as a customer one of the phrases I least like to hear is “There is nothing I can do”.

Imagine you are purchasing an expensive product and you need to have it delivered within a certain time. What if you asked the salesperson to ensure it was delivered on time and the response you got was “Well, it comes when it comes, there is nothing I can do to speed it up”.

Imagine you are going on vacation, the airline loses your bags, and the response you got was “Sorry, but there is nothing I can do”.

Now, if you have found yourself saying those words, put yourself in the place of your customer. Why are they making the purchase? Maybe they have a dream. How you you help make their dream a reality? By sharing in their dream, even just a little bit, you might make their experience better. They will remember it and you will probably get a more loyal customer.

Does your organization support people going the extra mile to improve customer experience?

I recently purchased a new car. Once the purchase was made, I felt like I had become a burden to the dealer rather than a valued customer. It took six weeks after the vehicle was built to ship it 1,000 miles. There was no way for me to track it, like UPS or FedEx. The only way to get an update was to call the dealer and have them look it up. It was hard to get a specific date of delivery – and it got delayed along the way. Finally, it was within an hours drive – but it took another week to make it that final 70 miles. Once it arrived, I was not called. The delivery was uneventful.

Now, with a few small changes, it could have gone from a mediocre experience to a great one. Here are a few thoughts. The dealer could have offered to check the status each week and send an email. Better yet, the shipping company could offer a way for the customer to track it themselves like the way they can with almost any other consumer purchase.

When the vehicle was at the final distribution center, instead of saying “there is nothing I can do”, they could have said “let’s go get it today!”

When it arrived, they could call and say “Your new car is here!!! When would you like to come and pick it up?”

Finally, make the deliver a little bit of a celebration. When you are at Disney World for a birthday or anniversary, they find small ways to make it special. Sometimes they bring a special dessert to your table or just wish you a happy birthday. Once, on Southwest airlines, the crew got on the PA and sang my son Happy Birthday.

A great experience is memorable. You want more of it and you tell everyone. It is good for business and just makes life a little better.

So, are you empowered to deliver a great experience? Or, will you just keep telling people “there is nothing I can do”?

I would love to hear your great experience stories. Please add a comment and lets get the discussion going.