I haven’t been to many spas. It’s not that I think they’re some kind of attack on my manhood, it’s just they aren’t something I think about. The only time I’ve done some “spa-ing” was during an all-inclusive stay at a resort in the Dominican Republic where a 4’11 woman beat the crap out of me (in a good way) before making my feet look pretty (in a manly way). Jen Spencer, Spa Director at Sante Spa Victoria, heard that I do a blog on customer service and figured she’d put her spa to my challenge with a complimentary experience. It’s on, Jen!

Full disclosure: I know Jen personally and she knew I wouldn’t be nice even if she offered me a massage for the low, low price of free.

THE ORDER
I made the appointment for an earlyish Sunday morning for what Sante Spa describes as a “Relaxation Massage.” Being a bit of a spa novice, I thought all massages were relaxing but that shows you what I know. I made my way into the swanky foyer where I was quickly greeted by one of the front desk staff. She smiled, took my jacket and handed me a medical checklist to fill out…a pretty extensive medical checklist. Well, probably best to know everything so there’s no surprises. I was given a quick tour and led to the change room to get “robe ready”…I just came up with that (this phrase is not endorsed by Sante Spa). As soon as I was ready, I was greeted by Dana who told me she’d be my masseuse for the hour and then asked me where she should focus: full body or back/shoulders. Stress has made my back/shoulders hate me so I asked her to give them a beating. I slipped under the covers and Dana went to work. After 60 minutes, I was a relaxed “muscle puddle” (also not endorsed by Sante Spa) that spilled out into a relaxation room and finally into a mineral pool. Unfortunately, eventually my brain had to switch back to “errands to do” mode, but really, not a bad way to spend a Sunday morning.

THE SERVICE
The engagement and service can be split into three parts: front staff, tour and masseuse.  

Episode 1: The Front Counter Staff – Clear, friendly, to the point. Beyond the medical checklist, I didn’t really talk much with the front counter. Their roles seemed far more as facilitators than anything else. They made eye contact, they smiled, they answered any questions I had…plainly, they got me closer to the service I was there for. Beyond a little small talk (which may or may not be necessary, and it wasn’t for me), they were grand.

Episode 2: The Tour – Got me where I need to go. I’m not sure if they do the quick tour for everyone but let’s assume they do. After taking my coat, the staff member walked me to where I was going, a waiting room and the change room. She did point to other rooms but really didn’t go far in explaining them. Having never been there before, it would have been nice to know if there were any facilities beyond the 4-5 rooms (massage, changing, sauna, waiting room and mineral pool) I was directed to. If that’s it, then that’s fine but it wasn’t much of a tour. More of a: that’s that, that’s this and you go in there.

Episode 3: The Massage. Dana was fantastic. As soon as I was changed, she was waiting for me to take me to my room and proceeded to be with me every step of the way without feeling intrusive. During the massage, she asked every once in a while how I was doing…which is great for someone with as little experience as myself. How do I know what I like? What’s too much? Too little? When I told her she was “adequately kicking my ass”, she laughed. Apparently she was giving light to medium pressure. I’m a wuss. But you know what, it was a good place to start and I’ll have a baseline for next time. She was friendly, engaging and I’d highly recommend her.

THE CONCLUSION
Going steady – This could be the beginning of something major. Our date started off pretty formal and matter-of-fact but when we finally connected…damn. You were there for me, talked enough to keep me engaged but not so much as to ruin our time together. I didn’t have a lot of experience on these kind of dates but I’m definitely up for another.

Service Rating System:

Friend Zone – I just don’t like you in “that way.”
Booty Call - If I don’t have anything else better going on, I’ll stop by.
2nd Date – I’ll give you a second chance.
Going steady – This could be the beginning of something major.

Recently I did a blog post about definitions, and whether it’s Wikipedia, Dictionary.com, or one of those stuffy academia types,  it’s important to go back to the source.

“The provision of service to customers before, during and after a purchase.” – Wikipedia

“Assistance and other resources that a company provides to the people who buy or use its products or services.” – Dictionary.com

“The assistance and advice provided by a company to those people who buy or use its products or services.” – Oxford Dictionary

“Nada, zip, zilch” – Merriam-Webster (apparently don’t define “customer service”)

But what’s also as important is listening to your customers. How do you define customer service. If businesses had a better understanding of what you’re looking for, would they be better prepared to offer it?

Over to you:

What are your customers saying?

@lemonzestlady – Really CARING about cust. needs/wants. Doing everything to convey: I CARE, YOU and your satisfaction are important 2 me.

@koltie – a real and interesting conversation. Listening.

@toomuchrock4one – Good customer service=feeling listened to and having my questions answered honestly or admitting that they don’t know the answer.

@PatrickTussie – Good customer service: Eye contact, genuine smile. A “welcome to my home” attitude. Polite, courteous, knowledgeable…

@kevwrites – Nobody goes to bed angry.

Corey James Rolston Smile and a wink! But if it’s a waiter it’s awkward.

Emily Skey Outstanding customer service is when you feel like you should reciprocate and do something nice for the ‘server’ in return. You forget it’s their job.

Scott McDonald To be treated as you would like to be treated. In order to do that the server, adviser, etc MUST qualify you – Why are you there? Who are you buying for? What are your likes/dislikes? Are you buying now or later? Why are you buying? So, in a sentence: Good customer service is that which quickly, but patiently and unobtrusively identifies a customer’s real needs and then exceeds them.

Doug Brown Good customer service is when I walk out feeling like I am their most important customer and I therefore become their salesman in the market.

Krista Waddington Johnston Genuinely giving a s**t about your customer and their needs. And as Scott said, exceed them.

Though these definitions are all different, they do have some pretty similar themes: genuine, feeling of importance,  exceeding expectation, really caring…and it’s not like we haven’t heard all this before. The issue is that we keep hearing these things.

No Tip for You!

This past Fall, my girlfriend and I took to the road for a trip to Disneyland. She’d never been (insert gasp) and I hadn’t been as an adult. Let the frivolity commence. One of our stops really made me stop and think about how tips have now become expected. While at Storytellers Café, a part of the Disney Grand Californian Hotel, we had a whirlwind of servers (only saw ours at the beginning and the end) and a less than remarkable experience only to be presented with a card in our bill fold explaining the way tipping worked, and how much gratuity is in the United States. What? Huh? Come again? Tipping isn’t a right. As I’ve mentioned before, I lived in that service industry world a long, long, tear, long time (12 years) and depended on tips. So, I feel I can throw this question back at those gratuity-expectant servers – “Did you do anything to deserve a tip?”

Here are a couple of reasons you shouldn’t get your 15%-20% (automatic for parties of 8 or more):

1)   You don’t add to the experience.

From the moment I walked through your doors to the moment I leave, can you say you in any way made my experience better? Just doing your job doesn’t count. For example: If your job is to make a sandwich and you do that, you didn’t improve my experience. If your job is to tell me about your product, you didn’t improve my experience. If you smiled…sorry, that’s the bare minimum of making it all better.

2)   You don’t engage in any way.

Did you make eye contact with me when you did your quality check (coming back to a table to ask if you’re enjoying your meal)? It doesn’t happen as often as you’d think. Did you try to connect to me on a human-level rather than just an exchange of goods and services? If the answer is no…no tip for you.

3)   You aren’t present.

We all have bad days. We all have other things going on in our lives besides the 8ish hours a day we work. Or the 6ish hours servers work. Customers completely understand that. But if you’re day dreaming or chatting it up with other co-workers instead of catching the eye of a customer trying to get service, you’re not “present.”  You’re “presently” wasting your employers and my time.

4)   You can’t be bothered.

The customer isn’t there to ruin your day, cause you grief or generally put a crimp in your style, they just want you to do your job. You may think what you’re doing is pretty important but if it doesn’t involve getting me a drink, food or helping another customer…it isn’t. How many times have you talked to staff and it seemed like you were bothering them? Sorry about that…oh and yeah, no tip.

5)   You are part of the problem, not the solution.

When a guest comes into your store, they’re looking to have a problem solved. They’re hungry, feel caffeine-deprived, want to get out of the house … Any number of things are not working for them so they want your food or service to make it all better. Are you getting in the way of that? Is your attitude or lack of interest in your job stopping the customer satisfaction from happening?  Forget about that grat.

This Top 5 is full of “Don’t…aren’t…can’t.” Aim for “do, are and can.” Tips are a reflection of added value. Your work can’t just be about order-taking but rather how you left your customer feeling after you engaged with them. Just doing your job doesn’t count.

Recently, the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) asked for submissions on the definition of public relations. After a very spirited debate across Twitter, podcasts, Facebook and various other mediums, they received an unbelievable amount of submissions. With the fast-changing world of engaging technology and sociability, many in the field seem to feel a need for new definitions. Will an internationally accepted definition of public relations come out of this exercise? Of course not, because A) it’s an American organization, and B) you’ll never get consensus. The value is really the engagement and discourse around the topic.

What's your definition?

What’s In a Name?

If you look up “Public Relations” on that resource we all know and love, Wikipedia, it has no less than five different definitions. From the European point of view, to the use of technology, to the various disciplines that fall under the public relations umbrella, it certainly supports the perceived need to come up with a clear meaning.

Could the answer be simpler than all that? Where I think we need to focus is more on the actual words: Public Relations, the practice of an organization building long-term relationships with the public (I added “long-term”). This covers everything – technology, people, businesses, etc. And, this is also the heart of customer service.

Are You Being Served?

Wikipedia states that customer service is “the provision of service to customers before, during and after a purchase.” Sounds like a relationship to me. And if you want those customers to stick around and buy that other product or service, it better be a pretty good relationship.

When customers engage with your company, for the first time and every time after, they should feel a level of connection and trust. You solved their problem. You listened to them. You provided them a service/product that made their lives better (perceived or actual). Who are those customers? Whether it’s media relations, B2B, B2C, corporate communications, labour relations or a guest in your restaurant, it’s about defining who your customers are, providing something they want, and building a relationship that will last.

Blurry Lines

With the rise of social media and importance of public engagement, the defined line between customer service and public relations is becoming more and more blurred. For good reason…to build public relationships, a business needs to service its customers.

Of the 20 most common words submitted for the PRSA definition, “public” was number two and “relationships” was number four. Oddly, “long-term” didn’t make elite status. I do hope it makes the cut, for the customer’s sake.

It’s the end of 2011 and by now you’ve probably been inundated with about a billion Top 10 lists, “best of” lists, “my favourite” lists, “your favourite” lists, “most viewed” lists, and lists about lists. TV, social media, newspapers…it’s hard to escape the “year in review” wave, so if you can’t beat them, join them. (insert sarcastic laughter here).

Your mouth doesn't have to be this big to be successful

This list is more about reflection and realization than it is about the year gone by. Since starting this blog, and long before, I’ve heard countless people complain about how bad customer service is getting, how badly they’ve been wronged and that nobody ever listens. Thankfully, you’ve got a lot more power than you know you do. Guest blogging on The Upsell or starting our own online presence allows you to get your message across. Hell, sometimes it even scares the bujesus out of some businesses, big and small. Below are three blogs that got the attention of some pretty significant companies. My secret: I wrote something, people read it, people commented and/or shared it, companies noticed it.

1)   London Drugs: Alone Among the Electronics – One of my first blogs, with this one focusing on staffing levels. A rep from London Drugs commented (since been lost due to a change in commenting platforms) that they had passed it on. The funny part is I ran into that same rep a few months later to find out that I had caused a little worry in their Executive…they’d not been singled out like that in a negative blog and didn’t know how to react. I did get their attention though.

2)   Best Buy: Shhh Listen – I was contacted through a Best Buy rep and told they would fix my issue. The problem is, the issue they fixed actually wasn’t the issue I had. It’s good they’re paying attention and monitoring what’s being said but there’s a difference in “reading” versus “hearing”. I just had to write a follow up blog.

3)   Sears: Customer Service Jekyll & Hyde – My most recent big box store encounter was a case of good in-house customer service vs. bad delivery. This blog resulted in multiple phone calls, Twitter responses and a resolution to my issue. Not bad for a couple hundred words.

The “power of social media” gets thrown around a lot but it really does give a voice to those that didn’t feel like they are being heard. I’m not saying you should rant for ranting’s sake…there’s way too many trolls doing that already (you know who you are). I’m talking about holding businesses accountable in a constructive, critical way, and making sure they stand behind their product. Not in an “insert f-bomb and non-sensical tirade here.” If you’re creative, clear and concerned, you’ll be amazed at how effective you can be. Pick a platform you’re comfortable with and go to town, you could be the next United Airlines Breaks Guitars guy/gal. And you always have the option of guest reviewing here on the Upsell.

Express your concerns, big business is listening.

Frown turned 180 Degrees

I live in the small city of Victoria, B.C., and one of the great things of living here is the restaurant culture. When I ever ask someone, “what’s a great place to eat?” rarely, if ever, does anyone suggest a chain. We do have your Kegs, Moxy’s and Milestones but they aren’t top of mind. Variety is a nice thing. In that tradition, a new burger place just opened up: Bin 4 Burger Lounge. I’m nothing if not curious so I decided to go for a visit.

THE ORDER:
On a busy night, my girlfriend and I were seated right away in the middle booth (of three) at the back. The table behind us was seated and the table in front of us was quickly seated after us. So we waited. And we waited. A waitress walked passed us to serve the table behind us with no notice of us. The table in front of us was delivered water. Us? Nothing. 5-10-15-20 minutes pass. Finally, the owner (I knew he was because he wasn’t really following any dress code) came by to ask if we wanted anything to drink. Um, yeah. He quickly apologized, said something about “miscommunication” and took our drink order…he was now our server. The rest of the evening went as it should of in the first place – food, attentiveness, engagement.

THE SERVICE:
Having written this blog for the last 2 years plus, I get a little giddy when I know I’m getting either really good or bad service. It’s like I’m thankful a business has given me something to write about. So in this case, after 5 minutes of being forgotten, I focused on the watch and was curious as to how bad it could get. Well, 20 minutes is pretty bad. So once that was over, my curiosity is to see how the business will turn it around. The owner did. It’s too bad it was the owner that had to step up rather than the staff but I’ll be honest, as a customer, I don’t care who it is as long as I leave happy. And you know what, I did. Dan, one of the owners, introduced himself at the end of the evening and apologized for what had come before. Bad things happen. Miscommunication happens. But what a customer wants is for the bad service to be acknowledge and then see how it’s rectified.

THE CONCLUSION:
2nd Date – I’ll give you a second chance. It started bad and ended swell. This was not a date I wanted to be one but I stuck it out and was pleasantly surprised. I’m curious to see how a second date with Bin 4 Burgers goes. To be continued…

Full disclosure: One of my close friends, Tamara, did the branding and interior design. She’s pretty kickass. Her website: Inhabit Designs.

Service Rating System:

Friend Zone – I just don’t like you in “that way.”
Booty Call - If I don’t have anything else better going on, I’ll stop by.
2nd Date – I’ll give you a second chance.
Going steady – This could be the beginning of something major.

I recently had a mixed experience with Sears. (Here’s the blog) What started out amazing in their store failed miserably once it was left in the hands of their delivery customer service. As I’ve come to learn from writing this blog, the best way to share constructive criticism is through a blog. So far, I’ve gotten the attention of London Drugs, Best Buy, local bakery Bubby Rose and now Sears. Soon after my original post, I was contacted by not only “Lizzie”, who operates their Twitter account, but also the local Sears Home manager who had been contacted by executive. Ah, the beauty of social media.

A promise kept?

THE ORDER:
I was first contacted by Nancy Smith with the executive office, who asked if she could help resolve my issue and asked for my phone number. I responded, “I’d like to see what you can do to help” and included the number. Never heard from Nancy again. Bye, Nancy. I barely knew ye. But I was then contacted by Margaret Ramsay, who store manages the Victoria location of Sears Home (where my little adventure all began). When I say contacted, I mean two phone calls and an email. I was unavailable so they certainly were making a point of trying to contact me. When I was able to contact Sears, it was the weekend so I was directed the (mattress) department manager Hector, who invited me to the store to remedy my mattress problem. (Recap: last I’d heard, the mattress I’d purchased from Sears wasn’t  coming and they didn’t know when it might show up.) Upon my arrival, I was offered an option of two other mattresses that were similar or better than the one I’d initially chosen. After rolling around the two options, I chose what I wanted. They also honoured the “free gift” you get with buying a Sears product (I’d initially bought a Sears mattress and this one wasn’t). After a bit of waiting to get the issue ironed out through paperwork, I worked out the time/day for delivery. A week later, the mattress arrived as agreed upon.

THE SERVICE:
Though I never actually talked to Nancy or Margaret, my experience with Hector was great. Though I did get the feeling this wasn’t the first (2^nd, 3^rd, 4^th or 5^th) time they’ve had problems with delivery customer service. When I arrived at Sears Home, I was reassured that the mattresses were IN the Victoria warehouse, and not back east. Interesting point to make as I’d only complained about the delivery service…not knowing where the issue was. Mental note made. So the in-store service was great but then again it was great the first time too. How about the delivery? Well, they did show up. Can I say they were friendly, accommodating and service-oriented? Nope. My girlfriend accepted the delivery and told me they barely even acknowledged her. But in this case, I was more interested in getting what I bought, less about service with a smile…or a smirk.

THE CONCLUSION:
2nd Date – I’ll give you a second chance. The big question, “will I go on another date with Sears?”…Yes. Their service in-store was exceptional but it had got to the point where I wasn’t going to go to them based on their service. After I wrote that last blog, I’ve never had so many people, either over social media or in person, tell me they’ve had as bad or worse when it comes to Sears delivery. This certainly sounds like an ongoing issue to be addressed. But I can only speak for myself, and they did fix my problem. That’s worth a second chance.

Service Rating System:
Friend Zone - I just don’t like you in “that way.”
Booty Call - If I don’t have anything else better going on, I’ll stop by.
2nd Date – I’ll give you a second chance.
Going steady – This could be the beginning of something major.

I only had my iPad2 for a few months when the camera failed. Software problem? Hardware issue? I have no idea, I’m not a tech geek. But when it came time to get it looked at, neither Future Shop (sorry, not under our warranty) or Simply Computing (sorry, here’s a number for you) could help me. So what’s an “island boy with no Apple Store access” to do? Go to the mainland. Did you think I was going to call and mail it to Apple? I don’t care how good the customer service may be, that’s never a fun experience.

No houses were harmed in this exchange

THE ORDER:
At Richmond Centre in B.C. was where I found the most geographically convenient Apple Store. The place had just opened so it was only half packed with people. I had never used their Genius Bar before but I knew that’s where I needed to be, but before I could get within 10 feet of the counter, a small member of the Apple staff stopped me, asked if they could help me and if I had an appointment. I’m not really that organized so I didn’t even think to get an appointment, however, she took down my name and set me up with a place to wait. Not too long later, a “genius” came by, tested my iPad2, found the problem (which was a hardware one), gave me a new iPad and sent me on my way.

THE SERVICE:
I have to say, this was pretty top notch service. After I was quickly acknowledged by the administrator (?), and we determined A) the nature of my problem, B) I didn’t have an appointment and C) was in a hurry because I had to catch a ferry, things fell into place quickly. She recommended I put myself on the wait list anyway and she would see what she could do. Moments later, and I really do mean moments, a staff member was there to help me out. He told me he understood I was in a hurry and that my problem was probably a quick solve. Within the next 15 minutes, he talked to me, tested my iPad for software issues, explained the problem and got me a new device. He barely took up my time and I barely took up his but at no time did it feel like I was being rushed (even though he knew I was in a rush). I now have a new iPad2 and a new appreciation for customer service at the Apple Store.

THE CONCLUSION:
Going steady – This could be the beginning of something major. A whirlwind of a first date. I don’t remember much but I had a good time, you were attentive and I left satisfied. In a good way.

Service Rating System:
Friend Zone - I just don’t like you in “that way.”
Booty Call - If I don’t have anything else better going on, I’ll stop by.
2nd Date – I’ll give you a second chance.
Going steady – This could be the beginning of something major.

It’s been a while since I’ve done a review. Not that there weren’t experiences I didn’t think were worth sharing…I just wasn’t inspired. Considered me inspired. I’ve had a guest post on The Upsell before but never have I reviewed Sears myself. I recently bought a condo and, since the first thing you do when buying a condo is fill it full of stuff, I was in the market to spend.

Do You Love Me or Hate Me, Sears?

THE ORDER:
My girlfriend and I decided to check out Sears Home. Not a place I’d ever been to but the products they sell have often been recommended and, what they hell, they had a sale on. We ended up buying not only a washer / dryer set but also a mattress. They even threw in some pillows. I told you we needed stuff. For big ticket items though, it isn’t just an in-store experience, you also have to get what you bought delivered. I’m actually waiting on the delivery as we speak…but we’ll get to that.

THE SERVICE:
To really get an understanding for this customer service experience, I need to break it into two reviews.

In-House: From the moment we walked in to the moment we left, we were treated well. From the mattress section where the sales person would pop in and out of our decision making to answer questions and offer advice without hovering to the appliances area where we were engaged on a personal level with one employee and offered constructive advice from another who knew we weren’t going to buy anything. We left having happily bought everything on our list. We even talked about the next time we could come back.

Out-House: We were first informed that the washer/dryer would be delivered with the mattress. Then I was told that unfortunately I wouldn’t be getting the mattress on that particular day…but they couldn’t tell me when it was coming. No idea. How is that possible? Is no one accountable for anything? How do you run a delivery business without knowing when your product is sent to and from places? Are there magical pixies creating my mattress and delivering it by teleportation? At this moment, I not only have no idea when it’s coming but also no idea when they’re going to follow up with me.

I’m a social media guy so where do I go to complain? Twitter. @SearsCA saw my remark, apologized and asked to privately get my email so they could get back to me. Sounds great right? That was 3 days ago. Still nothing. Nice.

Finally, I wait for my washer/dryer to arrive between 5-9pm. I, of my own fault, missed the phone call at 5:55pm that told me they had arrived…by 10 minutes. So I called to ask if they could stop by my place later in the evening as they still were delivering for the next 3 hours. Did the customer service agent say, “sorry, our delivery scheduled is packed tonight and can’t make it” or “unfortunately our deliveries are taking us pretty far and we won’t be able to come by your way again tonight”? Nope. Their answer: “We don’t do that.” What? You don’t put your customer first? Or you don’t want to engage me in conversation and an explanation.

“We don’t do that.” Maybe that’s what I’ll say if someone asks if I shop at Sears.

THE CONCLUSIONS:

In-House:
Going steady – This could be the beginning of something major. For their in-store service, I had amazing conversation, received the right amount of attention, all with a friendly personality. I would love to meet up again…unless…

Out-House:
Friend Zone - I just don’t like you in “that way.” …you bring this “friend.” Inappropriate, complete lack of people skills or respect. I have a friend who desperately will hang out anyone. I won’t even give him your number.

Service Rating System:
Friend Zone - I just don’t like you in “that way.”
Booty Call - If I don’t have anything else better going on, I’ll stop by.
2nd Date – I’ll give you a second chance.
Going steady – This could be the beginning of something major.

If any one of my friends made a promise to me, and broke it…they probably wouldn’t be my friend for much longer. Whether it be a verbal or written (usually email) contract, there’s something understood in a promise made. It will happen. And if it doesn’t? It’s a betrayal, pure and simple. It might be a big one or a little one but there is that breaking of trust, no matter how slight.

You are what you promise

So what happens when a company doesn’t deliver what they promise? Yep, the exact same thing. Some businesses look at the bottom line or how much foot traffic makes its way through their doors but what it’s really about is relationships. That thing that fuels our connection with friends and family is also what fuels our loyalty to certain companies. So when a promise is not delivered…there’s disappointment, frustration, anger, distrust. Maybe on a different scale but not so different than if your best friend had done the same.

So as a business, what are you promising your customers? The answer: your mission statement. That, hopefully short, paragraph that sums up what you will deliver everyday. It’s a promise to your customers, it’s a promise to your staff and it’s a promise to yourself.  Starbucks Mission Statement: to inspire and nurture the human spirit – one person, one cup and one neighborhood at a time.  Followed up by some principles on how they achieve this.

I love the fact that it’s right there on their website for all to see. It’s like saying, “this is what we promise and we’re going to stand by it. Call us on it if we don’t meet your expectations.” (FYI – I don’t work for or am in any way associated with Starbucks)

The secret to providing great customer service is fulfilling your promise. And the trick to that is not making it a secret. Put it on your website, in your store, on a t-shirt…build those relationships and that trust and your customers will thank you for it. With their wallets.