In Customer Service, Talk Isn't Cheap, but It Is Essential

When you erase your phone number from your website, you erase your reputation.

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IT NEVER CEASES to amaze me how the same companies that gladly fork over vast sums of money to marketing agencies to "build their brands" then go to such extraordinary lengths to undermine them. How difficult is it to part with a few more pennies and actually do the right thing, when it pays off in spades?

If you want to keep your good name, and keep those five-star recommendations coming (and why wouldn't you?), then it's vital to keep your customers happy when they ask for help. And that includes some good old-fashioned conversation between one human and another.

Years ago, I paid a sh*t-ton of money for a top-of-the-line, commercial-grade faucet with a three-function spray head. For ambitious home chefs, the company said. Eventually, that faucet malfunctioned, and although it carried a lifetime warranty, at that point it was more than five years old. I dreaded calling customer service, because I fully expected to be told I was out of luck. Instead, I was immediately directed to exactly the person I needed to talk to. He was pleasant, apologetic, and seemed genuinely interested in my problem. Within days, I received a new fixture, free.

And, because I shared my positive experience with more than a few people, the brand got itself an unpaid ambassador. Thank you, Kohler. That's how word-of-mouth works, and it's very effective.

Keep the Avenues Open