Examples of exceptional customer service??

Knuxs7Knuxs7 Posts: 3,878
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After many interviews I've been asked this question almost everytime, and to be honest I'm not even sure how "exceptional customer service" is different from standard or expected service? :confused: So was hoping for two things;

1) Anyone who feels they have received "exceptional customer service" could you please briefly post about it and/or

2) Anyone who has had this question in an interview what have you said in response? :)

Comments

  • SystemSystem Posts: 2,096,970
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    When I had my wisdom teeth out, I had to get some antibiotics to prevent infection. My dad went and picked them up for me, but I didn't look in the bag all day because I wasn't up to it.

    Seven o clock that (Saturday) evening, and there's a knock at the door. It's the pharmacist, who has driven all the way across town to drop off some extra medication that she thought she'd forgotten to give me.

    Turns out I didn't need it, but it was really, really nice of her to do that on a Saturday night, when she really had to go out of her way. It restored some of my faith in humanity :)
  • Hugh JarseHugh Jarse Posts: 461
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    I think it depends a lot on the company and/or the country as different ones will have differing ideas as to what passes for customer service.

    These days, in this country, it's often a shock to even get a response from customer services, let alone a helpful one. I would suggest that if there's a job you are going for, to try and speak to someone who's doing the job you're after & see what's expected of them.

    Good customer service to me, would be to provide me with the goods or services they're advertising and if they fail to do so, or provide faulty goods, to order them or tell me where else I could get them or replace them if faulty as soon as possible without question. Also to be polite & knowlegable about the goods/services.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 1,036
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    Knuxs7 wrote:
    After many interviews I've been asked this question almost everytime, and to be honest I'm not even sure how "exceptional customer service" is different from standard or expected service? :confused: So was hoping for two things;

    1) Anyone who feels they have received "exceptional customer service" could you please briefly post about it and/or

    2) Anyone who has had this question in an interview what have you said in response? :)


    In addition, can I add that if there is ever a problem with some service or purchase and you are annoyed, PLEASE do not shout and be abusive to the CS rep, most of the time someone else has made the descision and they have to deal with the fall out. Please be calm and non abusive and you will find you may get further.
  • hugsiehugsie Posts: 17,497
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    Hi Knux
    As someone who has worked in and recruited in the area of customer service I would say exceptional customer service is (from an interviewers perspective) going beyond what the company would require or expect to find a positive solution for a customer or to provide them with a service.

    Example

    Customer a rings a call centre to book a travel ticket, they ring to book the same journey every year and every year it takes them an age and a load of hassle to book what should be a straight forward journey.
    The problem is with the companies booking system. For some reason the connections on this journey are not recognised.

    As soon as it becomes evident that the same problem has arisen again the customer "Bob" asks to speak to a supervisor.
    He explains again at length his troubles to the supervisor. She goes through a manual booking with him, and then personally takes his contact details and goes to the ticket issuing department and explains the issue. She then watches as they send the booking to his local travel shop so that he can collect his tickets. She rings him back to inform him of this and gives her name and contact details should anything go wrong.

    She then rings up the I.T. Department and informs them of the "missing" journey.

    That is where I would say normal service ends.

    This supervisor then calenders the date of Bobs journey and his ticket details. On the day after his return she gives Bob a call to see all went well. It did :)

    She then goes on to call the IT dept weekly after checking to see if Bob's journey has appeared on the system yet.

    6 weeks later it has and she happily rings Bob with the news that next time he has to book his journey he will have no problems. She also informs him that she has arranged for some travel vouchers to be sent to him to make up for the inconvenience.

    Bob is happy, books extra journeys and recommends the company to friends
    That I would say would qualify as exceptional customer service. I think mostly it is about taking ownership of an issue and really listening to a customer.
  • HollyCHollyC Posts: 5,850
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    I've also had an experience of what I consider to be exceptional (rather than just good) customer service a few years ago. I wanted to buy some paint in Homebase, but the colour I wanted had been recently discontinued. The assistant I asked offered to contact other branches to find some for me. It took him about a week, but, in the mean time, he phoned me a couple of times to let me know how he was doing and eventually managed to find me some. I think the intermediate phone calls made this exceptional - basically, he let me know that he was still trying and hadn't forgotten me. It may not sound like much, but it really made me feel valued as a customer. I took his full name and phoned Head Office to let them know. To be honest, even if he hadn't managed to get me the paint, I would still have phoned them. I figured that, if I had exceptionally bad service, I would have complained, so I should do the same with exceptionally good service.
    I think the difference is that he made me feel valued as a customer.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 681
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    Dyson. Our vacuum cleaner, which was out of warranty, stopped working so I called their customer care line. They collected it, rectified the fault, replaced a cracked handle, cleaned it and returned it in a new box 2 days later. All at no cost to us. Needless to say, the next time we needed to buy a vacuum cleaner we chose a Dyson.
  • butterworthbutterworth Posts: 17,872
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    Aqualisa - My shower mixer, which was some way out of warranty, stopped working. A quick call to customer services and they sent me a brand new thermostatic mixer (which ain't cheap) and didn't even want the old one back or anything.


    Sangenic - Make disposal bins for nappies. Around the top is a plastic ring, which it says in the instructions not to throw away when you empty the bin. In then has 'DO NOT THROW AWAY' printed on the ring three times in bold letters. They have sent me new ones free of charge, three times now.....


    Audi at Milton Keynes. I had to put my, frankly filthy, company car in for a warranty repair. When it came back, not only was it cleaner than new, but they had put the 27-odd pounds worth of change found in its various nooks and crannies in a little plastic bag on the seat. (not money kept in, say, the ashtrays, but lost money fished out of the seat runners etc.)
  • upnunderupnunder Posts: 2,379
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    Karen Millen at the Meadowhall Shopping Centre.

    We went last night so Mrs Upnunder could buy a dress for a May ball.
    The girls in there couldnt have been more helpful, suggesting things she might like, bringing her loads of different things to try on.
    She really felt like they cared about her as a customer, and even though she saw a dress she liked as much in another store, she went back into Karen Millen because she liked the staff in there.
  • GormondGormond Posts: 15,838
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    When I had my wisdom teeth out, I had to get some antibiotics to prevent infection. My dad went and picked them up for me, but I didn't look in the bag all day because I wasn't up to it.

    Seven o clock that (Saturday) evening, and there's a knock at the door. It's the pharmacist, who has driven all the way across town to drop off some extra medication that she thought she'd forgotten to give me.

    Turns out I didn't need it, but it was really, really nice of her to do that on a Saturday night, when she really had to go out of her way. It restored some of my faith in humanity :)

    Although I believe really nice people exist is it possible that the pharmacist took a liking to your dad :rolleyes:
  • plateletplatelet Posts: 26,361
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    Well, according to this thread:

    http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=568533

    fantastic service boils down to
    • calling back when you say you will
    • reducing cost by reducing service
    • and sorting out your company's overcharging.

    Me I'd just expect a bit more
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 104
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    Recently both more computers and global communications have been great. While not necessarily beyond the call of duty, contact with both companies has been easy, quick and helpful replies given in both cases, and will certainly make me deal with them again.

    On a side note, it also feels great when you're rewarded for customer service, as i was recently given a box of chocolates from a satisfied customer who i'd been chasing up things for.Makes a sometimes crappy job worthwhile.
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