Uh oh… that doesn’t sound good. I look forward to hearing the story though.

I appreciate it. You’re so right that people generally seem much quicker to share their bad service stories than the good ones. It’s nice to have this platform to not only share the story but to share the lessons from it.

That’s a good point about turning around critics. There’s actually research to support that customers are more loyal after you have messed up and fixed it. Still, I think it best to get it right the first time. Easier on everyone. 🙂

Great thoughts as always John!

I applaud you for this post because we often see rants and people whining online about bad customer service, but often forget to write when businesses go out of their way to make us happy.

First impressions make it or break it. A bad first impression can be salvaged but it’s tough. Although I must say with the proper care some critics can easily be turned into raving fans. Simply by listening to the client. Ah yes listening, it’s nothing fancy, no great strategy but it really works.

Thanks for this post Adam and happy birthday to your wife.

Hi Vernessa,

What a great comment. I look at customer service similarly, which is to say as the essence of a business relationship. It never feels good to drop the ball with a customer, but it’s going to happen from time to time no matter how focused we are. The only thing you can hope is that they give you a second chance.

Didn’t realize you were so close to Asheville. I will be expecting excellent customer service from the entire region now that I know it’s your “neck of the woods.” 🙂

Thanks so much for taking the time to leave such a thoughtful comment. Hope you are having a great week!

Without a doubt, customer service is near and dear to my heart. What a wonderful customer service story. (And belated happy birthday to your wife!)

While I can’t take any credit for the superb welcome you and your wife received in Asheville, I want you to know that their mountains are right in my backyard (about an hour away) and that is the kind of service you can expect when you visit *My* neck of the woods! LOL (Just kidding!)

Experiencing bad customer service leaves an impression, like you say, but being the cause of a customer’s bad experience carries an even bigger weight IMHO. I once lost an online account because the customer signed up for something and I didn’t get back to him for 24 hours. Even though I was having some technical difficulties that had me offline for that period of time, I still felt horrible about it. Offering incentives and extras to turn the situation around, the customer wouldn’t accept, demanded a refund, and likely bad-mouthed me (though I hope not!)

I’ve consistently been known for providing good customer service. That unfortunate event left a strong impression with me that makes me ensure (to the best of my ability) that even technical glitches don’t cost me customers.

On the flip side of that, I’ve just had a wonderful customer service experience. The SmallBizTrends site had technical difficulties on the last night of the nominations for the SmallBiz Influencer Award. Several staff persons have contacted me to make sure I got my nomination in. 🙂

Thanks for sharing this story and asking those questions, Adam.

Hi Ashvini,

Thanks for stopping by. They really did do a great job, and the concierge there deserves a lot of credit.

I agree that its this kind of exceptional service that makes people want to spread the word and really helps organizations build a reputation.

Thank you for taking the time to comment. I appreciate it.

Wonderful experience and I love the way they did the setup for wife’s birthday. I guess the wait was worth it. I believe such a customer service makes sure that the reputation of the hotel will go very far .

Nice to know that you had a great time .

Ashvini