“Hello? Where the heck are you?”
A supplier, let’s call him Negley Gent, was supposed to come and provide some after-sales service. He didn’t show up. Not good, but it happens sometimes. No one is perfect.
The very forgiving and tolerant customer (you'll see soon) rescheduled for another day with the supplier, a week later.
The long-awaited day arrived – but Negley did not. He also didn’t call to say he wouldn’t come. He didn’t call later. And he didn’t call the next day.
The trouble for the customer was that the cost of finding a third-party solution at that stage would have significantly affected quarterly profits. So, perhaps out of naivete or maybe due to the sunk cost fallacy, the customer scheduled yet a third service appointment with Negley.
This time, on the phone, the customer was very firm and aggressive. Understandable, right?
And Negley spoke softly and apologetically, putting on a very convincing show as “The Guy Who Cares.” He even asked for the customer’s phone number again, just to be sure. He set a day and time, and repeated the details slowly and deliberately, as if instructing someone to enter it into the office calendar. He said he would call half an hour before he arrives to confirm it was convenient, and he’d make sure to be on time, etc., etc., etc.
I’m embarrassed even to write about this. It’s really unpleasant. But Negley bailed again.
All that happened about six years ago and the end of the story is unknown. But I heard a rumor recently that Negley is scheduled to be at the customer’s office next Tuesday at five o’clock.
Shameless, right? But all of us, as business owners, might overlook the importance of after-sales service every once in a while.
We might find ourselves having to decide between holding the hand of a post-sales customer and meeting with a brand new prospect. Each case should be considered individually, of course, but usually the “hand-holding” turns out to be worth its weight in gold (in every sense).
Good after-sales service indicates seriousness, because it is a hallmark of someone who cares about their work and is proud of it. It also projects reliability and makes the customer see you as someone who is easy to work with. And all this, of course, leads to warm recommendations and return business.
In short, after-sales service is really presales marketing. When you look at it that way, you’ll never leave your customer hanging – at least not like Negley Gent.
Comments