Some customers start out as a challenge

Yesterday I came in to work around 10:30- a little later than usual. I just couldn’t wake up and I didn’t feel very well. So I had already begun my day with a negative outlook. I went through my routine, clocking in, checking my emails, etc. and I came across an email from our newest client.

He signed up on the 24th of October. (The last week of the month and also our busiest time.) When he signed up he wanted four of his locations shopped within the month. Although it was crunch time, I figured why not add four shops. I wanted him to be impressed anyway. So I said yes. We worked out the details, and I said I’d have them to him on Monday.

Just to fill you in, I emailed him his four shops earlier this week. I personally read over the evaluations to make sure they’d knock his socks off. I thought he’d be pleased with the quality of them. So I was expecting this man to become our biggest fan. I mean, we just whipped up four shops at the last minute and did an amazing job on the evaluations!

As I read his email I was shocked, and annoyed. Rather than singing our praises, he was mean and ugly with me. He said that he wanted eleven shops for October, and he wanted the rest of them immediately. (“Uuhh, can you believe this guy?” After we went so far out of our way….) I replied and told him exactly what I thought about his attitude…and then I deleted it. I then wrote the “I’m sorry there was a misunderstanding…” letter. I did paste the phrase from his email in which he asked for only the four shops. But, never the less, I had to be the proverbial ‘bigger person’.

After I sent the apology email, he called me! Just to say that he was clear about what he wanted the first time. I was pretty much speechless at this point. So I interrupted him and told him we’d be happy to do the additional shops that weren’t done last month within this week. (In my mind I was thinking, “After all, I’d love to bill for 7 more shops.”) Anyway, all I can say about him is that he likes to have the last word, and he must be in the right at all times.

I’m not sure if I would be as annoyed with this guy if I hadn’t started out my day on the wrong foot. In fact, I believe he must have also started his day the exact same way. But at the end of it all, I do want him to be happy with his services and he’d be a great person to have in our fan club. So hopefully he’ll see what a great job we do.

We are not the only people who have challenging customers, have misunderstandings with our customers or who catch themselves becoming annoyed when they think they are “right”. It is of course ironic that the secret shopping professionals also have to put themselves in check sometimes.

The fact is that once you wow a customer that you have share some misunderstanding or another with, you can build a great long term relationship.

Sarah

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Disclamer: This entry is intended to promote our partner StorageMart and some or all participants received compensation.

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