Lockdown whisky
What makes great customer experience?
Here’s a wee story about how to turn a disaster into a delighter!
I’ve attended a couple of interesting zoom sessions on customer service this week. We talked about basics and delighters and the Kano model.
Great customer service can often happen when you least expect it - that is, when an avoidable or irritating mistake has been made and the company involved turns the situation around so that the mistake becomes a delighter. As if by magic, I was presented with this fantastic example..
My elderly Dad is dependent on online shopping and, being a good Scot, he likes a dram most evenings - especially on Burns night. We had ordered a bottle of whisky - funny how they empty themselves with great regularity - to arrive in time for Burns night. When we opened his order the whisky bottle still had the security lock on it. Dad was not pleased!
My sister rang up Waitrose and told them the story. The person she spoke to looked at the order and said - you only live 6 minutes away. I’ll come round and sort it out. My sister asked when - he said he wasn’t sure. My sister said she would leave the offending bottle in a cupboard outside my Dad’s flat in case he came when my Dad was out.
My sister put the bottle in the cupboard as arranged and as she was going back to update my Dad she looked out the window and saw a Waitrose employee walking away. He had come round straight away and unlocked the bottle. In under 10 minutes - a disaster had become a delighter! My Dad could have had a dram for breakfast!
There are a few great things about this customer service:
My sister managed to speak to a person who was local
She didn’t have to go online and fill out a form
The person she spoke to immediately acknowledged the mistake and found a simple solution
They acted on it straightway
He didn’t even look for thanks
And, best of all, my Dad got his dram on Burns night
Hats off to Waitrose!
Please do get in touch if you want help with learning about some great ways to deliver a better customer experience - [email protected]
