Customer Service

My mom had a bathroom remodel done. She paid good money for some “extras,” not the least of which included two shower heads—one mounted on the wall and the other a moveable, handheld piece. The mounted showerhead has rings that turn, allowing the water to come out in a variety of ways: pulsing, gentle flow, circular, etc. 

At first, we thought it turned out really nice. But after a few uses, Mom realized she couldn’t reach the stationary head (at almost 90 years old, her arm stretch isn’t what it used to be), so the ability to change the water patterns was off the table. 

It was beyond my comfort zone to just let this situation be, so I called the company to talk about a fix. Then I waited for a call back. And waited. And waited. I called again and spoke to an apologetic lady who promised a call back when the owner returned from vacation. So I waited for his return and that call. In the meantime, I was thinking about the customer service aspect of this. I thought about who else I could possibly call to step in and fix this problem. A plumber? Another bathroom remodeler? Did this owner realize how I was starting to feel about his company? Reputation risk was definitely in play now.

Those of us who serve others—and I’m guessing this includes everyone reading this blog, since we are in the banking business—know that customer service, responsiveness, follow-through, and the desire to deliver a quality product or service are vital to our success. How does your organization stand up?