EITNB: Customer Service

Well, this may just be the happiest of Mondays of all! I don't know about you, but getting this extra day off came at just the perfect time. I have been struggling with getting back in the swing of things after the holidays, as well as finding a good schedule/balance for a work and after work life. 

Since today is not a real Monday, I thought I would take this opportunity to have today's EITNB talk about something I think is a big deal in todays world, customer service.

I have talked about this a bit before, but to me, it is such a big deal! I know the economy is rough, and I know not every company has the ability to adopt Nordstrom's customer service/return policy (did you hear about the man who returned a tire?), but that does not mean that you should have no customer service policy.

Being nice, and working to make the customer happy, does not cost anything. With social media how it is today, people are going to talk, tweet, blog, instagram, etc. and reputation your will be damaged. And with so many companies out there today, people will go someplace else, especially when you own a small business.

I recently tried to deal with the people at Chic CEO, and received ONE email response to my many attempts at trying to get in touch with them. And the one short email I did receive  looked like a textbook, auto response. This company is focused on helping people who want to run their own company, and yet their customer service and example is awful. The majority of encounters I have had with small business owners has been nothing short of wonderful, and so this has really stood out.

One of the reasons I have really been wanting to start my own company is because I want to work with people and bring the kind of happiness and joy that I enjoy bringing to my family and friends. I have noticed that the little things are really disappearing  people don't send as much mail, there are less and less care packages being sent, less thought going into perserving relationships and I think that is sad. I know that I can't change the world, but I can help change the world of my friends, family, and the people I one day hope to work with. 

I think while you are in the "development/creative" process, it is extremely important to deiced what you want your product to do, what do you want to give people, what you want to fill your life with. 

I work in a corporate job, and while I beyond thankful that I have this opportunity to work for a great company, have job security, and a steady pay check, what we do, is not what I want to fill my life with. 

You can quote me on this, and I hope I am right, but I believe that the companies that will be successful, and will stick around, will be the companies that show appreciation  focus on the little things, and make the customer happy.