Identical twins always intrigue me. When you meet a pair, it’s always a trip to see two people who look so much alike. Although, after interacting with them, you quickly learn that their personalities are so very different. Night from day. This reminds me a lot of customer service reps who represent the same brand, who are suppose to uphold the same standards and principles for that brand, but who are inevitably different in their approach.
We’ve all had the customer service rep who wants to be your friend and chat you up. We’ve also had the stone face (more times than not) who never looks you in the eye and she just wants to wrap up the transaction. This is where the problem lies. When you don’t let the human side show a little in your customer service interactions, you risk the chance of disappointing customers and leaving a lasting impression that won’t help your brand. Here’s a customer service story from Carolyn Kilmer, our Community Manager at Gallo Communications, who teaches us that being human is vital in customer service.
No one wants to receive the call that a far away loved one is dying. A call like that sends a person into shock, panic and creates an overwhelming desire to get to that person’s side as soon as humanly possible.
That was the case for me a while back. I spent hours trying to find a flight that would get me to my destination as quickly as possible and not use up my life’s savings paying for it.
I managed to get myself together and to the airport on time for my overnight flight. We arrived at my connection just in time to get on the other plane. To my surprise and dismay, my connecting flight took off seven minutes early. I was beside myself. I tried to keep it together and went to the Delta counter to get booked on another flight. The Delta representative told me that there was nothing they could do except to book me on a later flight, much later. I was in tears at this point saying that I did my part and got to the gate on time and it was unbelievable that they wouldn’t wait the proper amount of time for connecting passengers. She didn’t care about me or my situation and didn’t even look me in the eyes. I got booked on a later flight and went to wait. I was worried now that I wouldn’t get there on time to say goodbye.
A woman who sat next to me on my earlier flight saw me sitting alone. She knew I had a quick connection and must have wondered why I was there. Her name was Bunny. She tried to comfort me as I told her the story and how fearful I was that I wouldn’t get there in time. Behind the counter was another Delta representative that overheard my story.
She interrupted and asked where I was headed. Bunny stood up and told her the story so that I wouldn’t have to repeat it again. A moment later, she handed me a ticket to a flight that was boarding in 15 minutes. I said, “They told me it was sold out.” She replied, “It’s not now.” Through my tears I thanked her, gave Bunny a quick hug and went to my gate. I made it on time to say goodbye.
I will always remember the emotional turmoil of that day and how I was treated. From being dismissed by one representative to being saved by another. And by a stranger taking the time to help me get to see my dad one last time. Everything moved so fast that I didn’t get the name of the person who got me on that flight. I wish I knew who she was so I could thank her.
Every day you have an opportunity to help people in your customer service role. Yes, your first priority is to execute your job and deliver the service or product you are responsible for. But your second role should be to make your customers feel good, relieved and cared for.