Virtual Stores
I find that very few companies do customer service right, but the online ones that do, really leave a lasting impression. Here are two of my favourites:
1. Moo
Moo, a UK based company, prints photos into a variety of paper mediums (media...) including booklets of stickers. Their emails and packaging slip (that allows you select reason of displeasure) added a really nice touch to ensure customer satisfaction.Hello,
I'm Little MOO. We've spoken before, I'm the piece of software that manages your order with MOO.
I've done a Very Bad Thing.
Don't worry - your StickerBook will be fine, but I might've lost the information that tells the real life people at MOO what colour cover you ordered for your StickerBook.
I might only be a piece of software but I am embarrassed and I do feel like a bit of an idiot. If you do get the wrong cover for your book, please accept my apologies and know that someone has fiddled with my insides and fixed them, and it won't happen again.
In the meantime, I hope you love the Stickers you ordered.
Very best wishes, and sorry again,
Little MOO.
The booklet came fine :)
2. Clearly Contacts
Clearly Contacts is an online (Canadian) store that sells contacts and prescription glasses (their American counterpart is CoastalContacts.com). I've tried them for the first time recently and am very pleased with their service and product. They were helpful in answering questions on the phone without a long wait and the best part is that they let you purchase a product without having to pay upfront until you receive it. By the way, I'm going with them in the future when it comes to purchasing a complete pair of glasses (with a recognized brand, high index, anti-glare lenses, made-in-Japan titanium frames) for under $50 CDN including shipping. Even beats the quality of the stores in Hong Kong (bought a pair for $60 CDN IN-STORE that had the wrong prescription, incorrect focal distance, and poor quality lens resulting in distortion)!
---------------
I would say that the service design of these two companies are well done, which is why they are good experiences in my books. Which brings me to ask, how many of us actually expect to (or prefer to) speak to a customer representative when calling for support? I know when I dial any number, I have the desire to talk to someone on the other end. I don't like listening to the menu options or entering my PIN or account number (and having to repeat it later). Yet, I've been told that customers don't mind having their questions answered by a telephone recording, as long as it helps. Call me lazy, but I almost always try to press 0 (or see if I could pretend that I don't have a touch tone phone) to see if I can bypass it all and speak to the operator. Perhaps it would make a difference if I had to wait 3 hours to speak to someone vs. a few minutes (I would simply hang up and try again later or look for help online).