Customer Service Reputation Can Be Tarnished/Enhanced In So Many Ways

I have been reading a couple of items recently about the customer service delivery of several companies written by users of the services--

First the good: Apple

Karn Bulsuk in his Full Speed Ahead blog http://karnbulsuk.blogspot.com/2009/05/lessons-from-apple-on-customer-service.html has written about his experiences with his new I-Touch which when ordered was special delivered to him ahead of promised date, and when it broke unexpectedly overseas, he was able to get it fixed with no questions asked. He was very impressed and summarized his experiences--

Apple has shown us that good customer service involves:

• Under promise and over deliver: Apple told me 3-4 days, but managed to get it done in less that time, which was a pleasant surprise because I didn’t expect it to be done so soon.
• Accepting the product as defective, without arguing with the customer or making them feel if you are cross-examining them.
• Have conveniently located offices, and design them well to make sure your customer feels comfortable.
• Listen to your customers: if you say something will happen or you will do something, make it happen.
• Smile.

Seems pretty basic, but now Karn's experience will be told to thousands of others. The result: Apple's reputation will continue to shine and people will continue to pay premium dollars for its products.

Now the bad: Nationwide

It appears that for whatever reason--purely for information or for sales lead generation--people ask questions on networking sites about experiences with different companies. The responses tend to be negative, since it is human nature to complain rather than to praise.

On LinkedIn, the networking site for businesspeople, a recent question was posted in one of the group discussion sections:

401k Platform Provider Issues: Who is having problems in the 401k market place ?
401k Platform Providers have issues from time to time. Whether its poor service, dropping or changing product lines, client neglect, or raising fees, employers can get poor treatment and seek to find a new 401k platform provider. Has anyone come accross a pattern of plan outflow from a particular 401k provider ?

There is no question about the intent of the questioner...who happens to be a broker from SmithBarney...although his motives are not clearly stated. He is prospecting.

In the first day of the question, he has three leads with more undoubtedly coming. Here is one response:

I find the Nationwide call center to be extremely unhelpful. I have heard they are taking steps to change it, but I've had many complaints from clients and participants.

Ouch...while the broker has gotten a lead, Nationwide has gotten a blackeye. Left unresponded, the perception from readers is that Nationwide delivers inferior service.

There are other examples which I will post upcoming....

My View: Companies that compete on services for competitive differentiation should care about what people are saying about their services, and deliver in such a way that leads to unsolicited compliments. Further, companies should encourage their clients to talk. And if one hears about any issues, companies need to address them forcefully. Nationwide management should address the comment with the LinkedIn poster directly (take care of the situation) and then post a rebuttal. This will muddy the "unanimous" feeling of the complaint while the company determines the root cause of the call center issue.