Susan Dickenson

Customer service glitches: when the order is late/out-of-stock or vendor goes out of business

At Bountiful we take customer service very seriously and usually that's enough to move a custom order along with a minimum of glitches. Last year, however, we ran into a situation where things went from bad, to worse, to "I can't believe this is really happening!" It started when a new customer placed a $10,000 order for a sofa and two chairs. She selected a fabric from the sofa company's stock, we checked availability, and ordered additional fabric sent to the chair vendor. Suddenly, there was a four-week wait for the fabric, which the customer, in spite of a tight deadline, agreed to. Four weeks turned into eight weeks. The sofa finally arrived, but not the chairs. The chair manufacturer finally admitted they'd lost the fabric. We re-ordered the fabric, received the wrong die lot, and ordered it again! When the chairs finally arrived, one was completely smashed and we had to restart the whole process. Eight months passed before the order was successfully filled. Taking the sting out of this experience for our customer required extra effort. I made sure that she was up to speed on what was going on and made many visits to her house to talk to her in person. I special-ordered accessories for her to try in the room she was redecorating. I also discounted the entire order for her. I'm happy to report that the customer is still with us and, in fact, has referred friends. — Jamie Merida, Bountiful, Easton, Md., www.bountifuldecor.com

This past year one of our furniture makers was purchased by another group. We had four outstanding orders that instantly fell to the bottom of the new company's to-do list. We communicated the issue to the customers immediately and gave them several options: They could cancel for a full refund, select other items from another company, or wait for the items with monthly updates from us. All of the customers were willing to wait because we kept in touch and they knew we were committed to getting them the items they wanted. — Kate Sultan, Modern Bungalow, Denver, www.modernbungalow.com

We believe that you should always (1) communicate, (2) tell the truth, (3) do 1 and 2 in a timely fashion, and (4) be calm, courteous, respectful and understanding. Our worst nightmares with customers usually pertain to situations when something cannot be delivered as promised due to circumstances beyond our control. I have to say that in situations like this you have some indication early on (even if it's only a gut feeling) that there might be a problem. This is when we put the above formula into use. We communicate all along the way so the customer becomes part of the process instead of the last person to know. Most customers understand that "stuff happens" and if they feel that you have worked every inch of the way with them, they'll give you respect and understanding back. I should probably also add: (5) never promise something that you are not sure you can deliver, even if it means you might lose the sale. — Barbara L. Collins, The Whistling Elk, Chester, N.J., www.thewhistlingelk.com

Posted by Susan Dickenson on June 30, 2009 | Comments (0)