Why Customer Service is Important

I buy a lot of stuff both inexpensive and expensive.  There are no limits to what I buy, within reason, for myself and family.  If I believe in a product, I will be loyal.  If I like a product, I will go out of my way to spread the word.  I not only have the ability to inform others via my offline circle but also my online circle by means of my blog, Facebook and Twitter.  When I am happy with a product, I let others know.  When I don't, unless it's a sponsored review, I don't say much.  However, when I do get bad service for a product that I paid for and try with good faith to get assistance, I will make noise.

Businesses should understand what they can get from being good customer service oriented partners with their consumers.  Not only do they have a chance to influence the consumer's own purchasing choices but those of others.  For those consumers who do go outside the realm of their offline circle, this can equate to free advertising and unsolicited product review endorsements.  For me, that means a lot when I research a product and see a person's opinion.  Take Huggies for example.  Before I became a Mom's Ambassador, I wrote and preached how much I loved Huggies products.  I went out of my way to endorse this product in an unsolicited manner.  I received no compensation or product for my posts because I am brand loyal and I don't mind spreading the word on a good product.  This holds true for Arnold Bread as I love that product too.

On the flip side are the bad customer service experiences I have received.  I just spent $150 (discounted price from a sample site) on an expensive trike for my grand daughter.  The company did not know that I purchased their product via a sample site and for all they knew, I paid full price which was over $200.  Upon receipt from The Foundary (great sample site by the way), we started to build the trike and immediately were hit with four missing KEY parts.  The four screw-type parts were missed in the QA/QC process of this particular company.  When I contacted the company for replacement parts, I was told they needed:

1. Digital picture of the problem
2. Digital picture of the receipt
3. Trike model number and color (fair enough)
4. Number stamped on the bottom of the box
5. Name and address

Fair enough on items 3 and 5 but a year ago, when I ordered from Little Tykes and received my package, the booth seating on the diner was identical to the left side so I needed a right side.  What did Little Tykes do when I phoned them?  They apologized and sent me the right piece immediately with no questions asked and no requirements.  

After repeat e-mails with the customer service agent, I still sit, two weeks later with an unusable expensive trike because she had to order the part and informed me she would notify me when it ships.  What???  This is the worse customer service I have experienced in some time and I was all ready to tell the "world" about this super cool new trike I bought for my grand daughter on my blog, on other mommy sites, on Facebook and Twitter.

What ashame that businesses don't realize the power of what good customer service can bring for free if they do the right thing.