AUGUST 2020 | ENGINEBUILDERmag.com 45
to use the o ending shop/business again, but it very rarely
went any further than that. Now that we have the internet,
one disgruntled customer has the ability to magnify their
voice hundreds of times over.
Shops must take all steps necessary to maintain their
reputation. An open ear and a sympathetic tone may be
all it takes to resolve the vast majority of consumer-related
issues. Above the doorway to every shop should hang a sign
that reads simply, “Remember the Golden Rule: Treat others
the way you would like to be treated.” Keep that in mind,
and your chances of minimizing a customer’s stress, rather
than adding to it, will improve greatly – and so will your
reputation.Service Remotely
Now is the time we are all testing our IT infrastructure. Entire
companies are now working o site.
Obviously, this is a di erent scenario for engine and
machine shops, as they need a certain amount of folks in the
physical shop to perform work. However, maybe there are
scenarios for having those customer facing employees working
remotely and keeping customers out of the shop unless they’re
there for drop o and pick up of goods.
Having this kind of plan in place is another way you can
put customers at ease about any uncertainty regarding your
shop’s business or processes during a crisis.
Imagine being able to tell your customers that you were
ready for a potential crisis and there will be no reduction in
your ability to get their job nished.
I recommend being productive during this downtime and
not only stabilizing but improving your infrastructure and
processes so that if you weren’t prepared this time around, you
will be next time.EBService in the Time of Quarantine
It’s a challenge to make a statement that captures the stress of 2020. In a few words, it’s a
crazy time. And if ever there were a time to celebrate successful customer service stories,
those that make a difference, even a tiny one, in someone’s day-to-day, in how much they
spend, or in the ease of picking something up from the store or being able to receive something
you ordered online (what was once so simple...), goodness, let’s share.
I’ll start.
Unlike my pal The Remaniac, my dog has not enjoyed the ease of a regular dog food service.
We actually used Chewy years ago because of really solid prices, but our bags always came
damaged, dog food rolling around in the giant box on our porch. While I know now that this
company really seizes on opportunities to make customers happy, at the time I just thought that
the method simply didn’t work for me.
For a couple of years now, our dog food journey has been sporadic, based on our location,
sales, coupons, or a very dire need to replenish our last few kernels of food at the bottom of
the bin. No loyalty, no real preference, a general avoidance of very high-end stores that get
away with charging exorbitant prices, and a real hesitation to commit.
Enter pandemic, stage right, and it’s suddenly very inconvenient and in fact, dangerous, to
just pop into any old store to pick up any old thing. The dog food bin got low, then dangerously
low, then we were passing our dog leftovers with just a few decorative kernels on top (she did
not complain).
There have been a lot of lessons learned by both consumers and businesses about the new-
temporary-mandatory “curbside pickup” option. My family learned quickly what restaurants
and stores in Milwaukee had the process down, which needed work, and which to avoid. It
was on our way to pick up a curbside dinner when we stopped outside of a pet store, one we
had visited during our noncommittal pet food adventures sometime before. I didn’t have an
appointment, I hadn’t called ahead, I just knew we were out of dog food and maybe they could
help me. In these times, under the circumstances, there was no guarantee I’d walk away 30
pounds heavier. I, in fact, didn’t.
I walked away with probably 15 pounds of free samples and a pig’s ear. The store owner,
totally accepting of us not having ordered ahead, and sympathetic to our pathetic lack of pet food
loyal , just gave us food to try for our dog to see if she liked it. I said how kind, we’ll be back, we’re
grateful, but she insisted I needn’t come back if I didn’t want to; she was happy to help.
Naturally, we went through the free samples quickly enough and made the phone call to that
pet store to order our large bag of dog food (and a pig’s ear) for pick up.
This isn’t really about the fact that I got something for free. I just needed to get some dog
food and it was simple generosity which got us through the next week. My dog did in fact
like the food and it was such a pleasant experience in a time of fewer and fewer in-person
interactions, that I concluded there was no other
way to proceed but to indeed order dog food from this
store going forward. We found our dog food place.
I think what drives loyalty is more than routine.
Whether online or in-store, it was the human, the
kindness that made the difference. How do you show
your customers (or potential customers) that you
care, even behind a mask? ANDEE FROMM| RHYTHM OF REMAN44-45 eb.aug20 Customer Service.indd 45 8/7/20 8:52 AM
Naresh Jariwala