Photo : JC Tremblay
I could have named this post “How to brilliantly turn a pissed off customer into a raving fan,” but first let me provide a little background.
You know that feeling when you come home carrying a gazillion bags after a tiring trip to the grocery store? A time where you can’t wait to put everything away, so you can finally enjoy the fresh, healthy and velvety produce you just purchased – can you relate?
Now just imagine your annoyance after you realize that the very same produce you were about to enjoy is simply not fresh and uneatable.
It’s like promising a child that after she’s done cleaning up her room, she’ll get a candy and then when time comes, you just look at her and toss the bonbon in the garbage can – the nerve!
A lesson I learned in my earlier marketing years is the danger of not hearing back from unsatisfied customers – it is the equivalent of a slow leak in a car tire. When you realize it, it’s already too late and your car must come to a stop. In business, when it’s too late, you close shop – or proceed with massive job cuts.
In HR and recruitment, replace the word customer for employee and candidate – same tragic consequence applies if you are not paying attention or not getting the feedback. Your company culture gets lost, your employees are divided as oppose to united, the organizational climate suffers; you miss out on improving your recruitment process and ultimately attracting top talent. You lose.
So back to my produce story and more precisely my berries story. Like most people, I rarely take time to write or provide feedback but this time I was so upset that I wanted to tell someone. Since I didn’t feel like going back to Costco, I looked on the strawberries plastic container and saw a predominant sticker with that provided instant access to sending feedback, using your smart phone. Wow, simple & easy, I like it!
So I did just that. Not even 48 hours later I received a personalized e-mail from Danielle, over at Wish Farms, this Florida-based third-generation owned berry supplier. She kindly apologized and asked for a chance to make it up to me.
She had me at “hello JC”
I was seduced. Disappointment faded away and a feeling of satisfaction took its place. I was a customer that felt heard – Danielle made me feel like my opinion mattered. Now if that wasn’t enough, a few days went by and I got a letter in the mail – the very same letter I took a picture of and used as inspiration for this article. As you can see it reads: “JC, I hope you give us another try!”
So let me ask you this, what do you think the chances are that I, as a customer, give them another try?
They didn’t know what I did for a living, they didn’t know I was going to write an article and share it with my growing 8,500 Linked In follower base – they just did it because that’s who they are, and that’s how they operate.
PS: Costco Wholesale take notice: you should be very proud of your supplier
How’d they do it – what’s in their delicious secret customer experience berry sauce
- They don’t forget where they came from
I don’t know #Gary Wishnatzki, the President and CEO and 3rd generation family owner of Wish Farms, but he can be proud of his company, employees and growers. Maintaining family type-business Core Values and demeanors, while growing and becoming the largest producer of strawberries in Florida is an impressive juggling act – congrats! Most companies lose their essence as they grow, Wish Farms hasn’t and they deserve the credit.
- As much as they embrace the past, they live in the now and leverage technology
The only reason I got inspired to write this article today sharing my experience with Wish Farms is because of how they use technology. With their patented traceability tool, How’s My Picking™, I was able to instantly send feedback through my phone: they use technology to make the process easier for all parties.
Easier for me, the customer, to send feedback. Easier for them the company to track their product source and growers. Easier for the organization as a whole to collect data, get back to the customer and address the issues from an operational stand point: everybody wins.
- Technology Helps the Company, but Humans Run It
I got an e-mail that transpired empathy from an actual person sitting at a desk and putting thoughts into words. Then as if that wasn’t enough, I got a hand-written card with a simple yet powerful personalized message.
True Success Always Comes from respecting Fundamentals
It’s never about the money. In this case, the $5 reimbursement was a class act, besides, I could probably buy a small plot of land in Canadian dollars in my area for that US amount (thank you Wish Farms!), but it’s beyond the point.
It’s about relationship management. It’s about authenticity. It’s about people. It’s about compassion. It’s about getting personal, no matter how big or how small you are as an organization and regardless of the role you play in it.
Transparency and authenticity win – they will always beat the heck out of corporate BS that use preformatted response templates. Same goes when dealing with employees or future talents. People will forgive, and always respect honesty, but they’ll never forget phoniness, and a lack of empathy.
Putting customers first is a widespread and overused mission statement. Putting it into practice day in and day out is a virtue.
Customer as well as employee experience is about commitment – I’m grateful that some companies haven’t forgotten, and you should be, too 😉
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Thank you for reading this post – express yourself by commenting, liking and sharing it now!
Best,
JC
@jctremblayinc