We give good service is the worst phrase ever! What does that even mean? Also, who just wants good service? I want knock your socks off, would pay anything to work with you service. But in today’s world good service seems to be the shield of armor for the truth on how the service really goes. Let me tell you about two service people I met this week.
Best Buy
If you know me, you know I HATE Best Buy. I hate the terrible service, the lack of product and the fact that nobody will actually give you an answer. In fact most of the time they are condescending to you because you don’t know how much RAM you need. Well my laptop officially died last week. There is nothing more that I hate than getting used to a new laptop… the keyboard, setting up printers, programming logins, etc. Sounds like a great use of time, not! But it happened and in about two weeks I will be loving my new technology.
Being in Indiana en route to Michigan I had to go to Best Buy. I needed a working computer like 3 days ago. I traveled 15 minutes in the cold and the snow to solve my technology challenges during the Christmas season. I would have rather taught a class of ADHD kids than walk in there. I literally stood in the laptop department for 7 minutes before I was greeted. 5 associates walked by me and no one even ask if they could help me.
Finally, a sales associate came by. I told him what I was looking for and that I needed his help. I needed the whole enchilada. Cords, adapters, docking stations, cases, screen protectors. You name it, he had an open check book. We selected a machine and then went to the accessories. Great news, nothing was in stock. No screen covers, no cases, no chargers and the list goes on. The comment he made was because my computer was so new there was really no inventory so I should go on Amazon. Now I love Amazon but as a sales coach I was cringing on the inside. They had to check if a docking station was in stock. He then proceeded to tell me how he hates working there and it was only to get him through college. Well great news, because I don’t like spending money with you either!
We then get to check out but now I need to take more steps to get the other stuff. Here’s a hint for them. Why can’t they hop on Bestbuy.com and help me order it and have it waiting for me at home? Well we ring up the laptop and the price comes up $500 higher than what the sign says. Turns out the sign is wrong…. Great, what now? My sales associate got the manager to throw in a free docking station and adapter. OK, I’m feeling a bit better but still.
The sales person “did their job” but didn’t wow me. It just confirmed that Best Buy is not for me. And apparently not for my sales associate either.
National Rental Car
So the week of Thanksgiving National Rental Car really screwed up and caused me to screw up. They over charged the days I had the car and we sent invoices out to clients for travel that were WAY higher than they should have been. The clients were unhappy and they had every right to be. Now I use National a lot mainly because it’s very easy but there has been nothing extraordinary about them until this morning.
I was taking an early flight from Indiana to Michigan. It’s cold, it has been snowing and my new friend Mark was outside in the cold to take the car from me. He had a ridiculously amazing attitude. He wasn’t mad because it was early or cold. No way, he took this as his mission to take care of me because it was cold and early.
He greeted me with a big old smile and before I even popped out the car he looked up the license plate number of the car and greeted me with thank you Mrs Donahue-Piro. He thanked me for my business, sincerely. He then opened my trunk and got my bag out, a very nice add on you have 5 inch heels on. He told me to have a safe flight and asked me where I was going. He then said hold on one minute. He inspected my entire car to make sure I didn’t forget anything. He wished me a Merry Christmas and took care of the next person.
Here is the deal, both people did their job. But only one person did a ridiculously amazing job. Bottom line doing your job is like working for the DMV… it’s not going to get you anywhere.
