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June 29, 2006
Great customer service fixes everything
I’ve been Avis Preferred for ten years.
Last week I rented from Hertz, in order to get a specific car my wife wanted to try. I had my assistant set up a Hertz #1 Club account in advance, so that I wouldn’t have to waste any time at the rental counter.
When the Hertz bus dropped me off, my name wasn’t on the board. At the counter I learned that first-time #1 Club members have to check-in at the counter even though avoiding the counter is the point of the #1 Club. And that the car I asked for, listed on the web site and specially noted in my reservation after I phoned to check, is not available at this location. And that no car in that class was available. ("It’s a sunny day. People return cars late.")
At least I'll get a blog entry out of this, I thought.
And this is it. But this isn’t the angry customer service rant I imagined. Because the team at the counter was fantastic. They were sympathetic. They scurried around to find me a vehicle. And, when they couldn't find what I'd reserved, they gave me the brand new, just arrived, premium leather Ford Explorer with their apologies.
Using Hertz was a hassle. I didn't get the vehicle I requested. But Hertz's staff still left me feeling good about the experience.
Even the best systems will fail your customers sometimes. Great customer service is the backup that fixes everything.
Posted by Bob Pritchett at June 29, 2006 06:21 AM
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Comments
It is nice to see that customer service isn't dead.
Posted by: Robert Feisee at June 29, 2006 01:35 PM
I agree.
What businesses should aim for are repeat customers; By having excellent customer service and support, customers will keep coming back for more.
Posted by: Alexander Kintis at July 1, 2006 01:54 PM
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