Isn't There Anyone Out There Who Knows What Customer Service Is All About????

When we first moved to South Shore shortly after my fifth birthday, I became enamored with the Queen of Hearts favorite phrase from "Alice in Wonderland" - Off With Their Heads! I used to say it all the time, so as a child I became quite well known for it. I went trick or treating for the first time in my new neighborhood and while people may not have known my name, they did know "Off with their heads!" While my mother may have been mortified that SO many people knew me for saying that, she comforted herself with the knowledge that I make friends easily! I think my father got trick or treating duty after that....

Anyway, I've been giving good customer service since I was a fourteen year old camp counselor ensuring eight year olds got their fill of swimming, hiking, crafts, and drama before returning them to their grateful parents. I know how to make the impossible happen, and I know how to leave the competition shaking with rage. I got my manager to play "Outstanding" by "The Gap Band" while I was getting my performance review, and I have a host of customers who will ONLY deal with me. I've overheard friends, family and my clientele threaten contentious customer service reps by saying that they were going to dispatch me to deal with them - and like the Wolf from "Pulp Fiction", I revel in the challenge. Yes, basically "Off With Their Heads!" is still part of my personal mission statement - its the fate of those who fall short.

I've also been given great customer service - and I collect good customer service providers and use them over and over again - United Airlines, you got added to the platinum list when you got me back home on time even though the flight was overbooked! If you know how to make me and my clientele happy, I know how to give credit where credit is due. I'm a Concierge and Real Estate salesperson, so I keep a great team of service providers at the ready. They respond to my voice and make the seas part! Need a great table in a fabu Chicago restaurant, condo with the right lakefront view, or a replica of the wedding ring you carelessly, eh, "lost"? I'm your girl - accept no substitutes! On the weekend, it's nothing for me to pick up front row concert tickets at 3 in the morning, give a cross country messenger a package at 4, and get a jeweler out of bed to sell a Rolex at 5 before my day even starts.

I'm well aware of the challenges a life in customer service presents. Customers want what they paid for, and they want it the first time, not after calling a lawyer and a press conference. Some companies, sadly, are still getting the news! When you look around and see companies fold their pup tents and disappear in the high grass, it's usually because their customer service was pitiful, and that's a charitable assessment.

This blog is about good and bad customer service experiences. I will applaud those who got it right the first time, and chasten those who are dodging their responsibilities. For those who doubt a change has got to come - keep this in mind - Angry customers make "Closed For Business" signs sprout like dandelions!