Hello all, today I’d like to discuss customer service. It’s generally not something we often
see in the marketing template but it plays such a massive role. Customer service has
the power to spread through word of mouth but now we’re in the Era of social media.
This means consumers can engage with you at the speed of light: telling you what
works, what doesn’t work, and even how we can improve our businesses or offerings.
Some businesses have taken to Twitter to field customer service inquiries and issues
others use Facebook or other mainstream platforms and some stick to their guns and
use more dated methods. Customer service is an arena I’ve championed for 12+ years
being trained by companies such as Xerox, Bank of America, and more locally
Community Health Options. In these corporate trainings we heard stories both good and
bad from where customer service went bad and when it triumphs. One headline that still
lives rent free in my mind is “Tale of the Tiger” a story of how a Tampa International
Airport manager went above and beyond to reunite a child with his lost toy. Link is
below.
https://shortyawards.com/8th/boy-leaves-stuffed-tiger-at-tpa-returns-to-a-tale-of-tigers-
big-adventure-see-more-at-httpww
What happened that mattered to the consumers?
Well for starters, it shows the care that was taken for this child’s most precious travel
companion. This display made the family with the missing toy feel valued and cared for.
By not just tossing the Tiger into the lost and found (as we’d expect) the manager sent
Shockwaves through the consumer base of the airport which, may I remind you is an
international jetport. When the boy was reunited with the toy he was met with a
hardcover book of the toys’ adventures within the airport while the family completed
their trip. This manager went into his own pocket to turn a tragedy into a magical
moment in this child’s life. Feeling valued by a company is one thing that every
consumer wants. In customer service we hear the age old adage “I’m taking by
business elsewhere” and sadly, companies no longer care. The fight to keep customers
is simply dollars and cents in Corporate America and because of that we’ve lost the true
value of customer service. With the airport taking charge in the social space and
engaging with consumers on how touching or moving the story was helped bring a
personal experience and create a solid connection with their consumer base.