As you recall from my earlier rant about the ease with which Verizon kicked me to the curb caused me to reevaluate our relationship a few weeks ago, I’d decided it was time to break up. Or, more aptly put, had come to recognize that I loved Verizon a whole lot more than Verizon loved me.
Broken hearted, but firm in my resolve, I was packing by bags and leaving, headed toward a shiny new iPhone and ATT…just as soon as my New Every Two contract would release me sans penalty.
Fast forward to last Wednesday.
Delayed in the Indianapolis airport, I found myself in conversation with a kind hearted fellow who asked how I liked my iPad (I love it very much, thank you). Next thing you know, we’re talking about the iPhone, which leads to cell providers, which leads to Verizon. I mention that yes, I’m a Verizon customer, but only through January, when I plan to end my 20-year commitment and move on.
He asks why. I explain why.
Then he tells me who he is—Brad Williams, Divisional Vice President for ACS…the company that provides additional Verizon call centers to supplement their in-house locations.
Seriously. I couldn’t make this stuff up if I tried.
First thing he asks (holding his breath) is which call centers I spoke to. After whipping out my copious notes on the laptop, I confirm none were his.
Whew.
Next thing you know, he’s on his phone, talking to someone about my account. He hangs up and smiles.
Ten minutes later, his phone rings and a magical female voice on the other end tells him it’s taken care of (or, more accurately, that she can’t imagine why Verizon was putting a customer who’d been with them for over fifteen years through this for something as insignificant as $25.00).
Pretty sure my eyes about bugged out of my head when he told me the credit had been taken care of. Truth be told, it’s kind of astonishing I didn’t simply pass out in shock.
Fast forward to a few hours later when I (finally) got back to Minneapolis. Upon entering the house, I headed to a computer, logged into my account, and entertained the paranoid side of my brain that wondered if I’d just handed my cell phone account information to a guy who sells this stuff to thugs in Romania. Sure enough, he was legit…and so was the credit.
First thing the next morning, I paid my current bill, happy to see a zero balance for the first time since June, when the game of push-me-pull-you began.
So what’s the moral of the story?
(You know me. I love teaching moments.)
One person really can make a difference…and save a customer.
While Verizon isn’t the superhero in this tale, the bottom line is that Brad kept them in the game long enough to potentially turn things around. By January, this will all be a distant memory, making it 99% more likely I’ll stay put (as opposed to the 110% likelihood I’d be attending the AmericasMart gift show in Atlanta with an ATT iPhone in my pocket).
So how does this apply to your business?
Take a second look at the customer concerns that have darkened your doorway the past few months, then ask yourself if they’re truly beyond salvage. If there’s an open door…even a tiny crack…step in and try to turn things around one last time. True, you might have to swallow a bit of your pride, or nibble on a nugget of crow, but in the end, if you’re resurrecting future revenue, isn’t it worth the effort?
No business, large or small, can afford to drop a customer, whether they’ve been around for a couple of decades or a couple of weeks. In today’s world, every single person who hands you payment is worth their weight in gold…
…and their word-of-mouth in platinum. Don’t let someone else take your long term investment to their bank.
Click here to tell me what you think....
Do you think Brad can go work for Sam’s Club?
Not only can you slip in that crack, you can improve the relationship by just making the effort. I always apologize first thing, whether I was at fault or not. They are unhappy and I’m sorry. Then I work towards a resolution, no matter what that is. There are times when a customer needs or wants something that I can’t provide so I send them to another business. They always remember me for that, and many times, tell others. Word of mouth can’t be bought.
We recently had a customer who wanted to return something to our small gift shop. The person working that day informed her of our return policy was for store credit only. She became very upset at told her that since she had purchased it on her credit card we had to put it back on her credit card. Our employee then told her she would have to speak to me about the matter. Three weeks later the customer finally returned and I very kindly informed her that there is no law that we have to give her a refund, every business is entitled to their own return policy. Then I went on to tell that ulitmately we wanted her to be happy. I very quickly put the amount on her credit card expecting her to quickly walk out the door, instead she stayed and shopped and spent double the refund. Once again the customer is always right…even if they purchase final sale items and want to return them.
@Mary: Would rather have him work for independent, locally owned businesses to give them a leg up on big boxes. Oh…wait….small businesses already have the ability to work out customer concerns quickly by nature of not being a big corporate entity—better yet! (Hope you’ll take your business to one of them if Sam’s continues to drop the ball.)
Excellent points, Diane—just listening (validation) then showing effort makes a huge difference to consumers living in a world where good customer service is a rare commodity. Yet another way independent brick and mortars can outshine their big box counterparts.
Wow! That was lucky for you that you ran into him. But what about next time? Like you said, it wasn’t Verizon who saved the day, it was this kind stranger. I feel sorry for all the other loyal Verizon customers who don’t have the luck of running into a white knight at an airport.
My story goes like this. I was with the same large car insurance company for 22 years (since I started driving). My future husband, a year before I met him, had the unfortunate experience of a DWI. Three years later after we were married, I added him to my household (NOT my car insurance) on my policy. He was NOT listed as a driver, we just wanted to be by the book and honest about our living situation. I then received notice via mail about a week later that my policy would be cancelled. I thought this had to be a mistake! I hadn’t even had as much as a traffic warning in 20 years, no accidents, nothing. Nope! sorry…nothing they could do. (Because of something that happened to my husband a YEAR before I met him). There’s nothing like giving your hard earned money and TRUST to someone for your entire adult life only to have them treat you like scum. Like a good neighbor? Hardly.
dump verizon…they deserve it..no matter what brad did..
the hours you spent certainly was worth a lot more than the $50+..