Good service, just like a good product, by itself is not good enough! A combination of the two is required to be truly successful.
I bought the Microsoft Surface Pro a few months ago. To be honest, I like it. I travel lite and got all my Windows/Office stuff on it.
Unfortunately, I grabbed my back-pack when it was unzipped, the Surface flew out and its screen cracked.
Called Microsoft (No, I didn't buy the protection plan - still looking at it as insurance on a blackjack table), nicest girl ever on the phone. Couldn't really help me, she didn't really know what to do! Found a local Microsoft store. Again, super nice, smiley and all. Yet, couldn't help me either. "Sorry sir, we don't have technicians here, there is another location downtown". So I schlep downtown, find the store and the (again) very cordial gentlemen tells me that they do not fix these and offered to sell me a new one - "prices are now reduced to only $699" (!!!). I thanked him kindly (though VERY frustrated). Then.....he asks if I would mind taking a short survey about their service.
Did I say frustrated yet??
Really appreciate y'all being so kind BUT I WANT THE SCREEN FIXED!! You can be really nice and all but eventually your product has to perform!I don't really care about your service at this point!
And so will your customer if all you give them is a smile while your product is not really working.
This reminded me of an amazing story I am carrying with me along my
career that keeps reminding me again and again that good service alone is
not enough! Eventually I wanted my Surface fixed!!!
So a guy walks into this fancy brothel. Amazing ambiance down the corridor while he approaches the front desk.
"I would like a girl".
"Sir, thank you so much for coming, we appreciate your business. How old would you like her to be sir?"
"Hmmmm....26 please".
"That's not a problem sir, please go down the hall, 4th door on your right"
The guy walks off, all impressed with the great service, opens the 4th door on the right and walks into a beautifully decorated room.
"Welcome sir, really glad you are here. How tall would you like the girl to be?".
"Hmmmm...how about 5'8"?"
"With pleasure sir, please go back to the hall, take a right and find the 3rd door to your left"
The guy getting all anxious while still in awe with how kind and cordial everyone is around here...3rd door on the left...
"Welcome sir, thank you for choosing us. What color hair would you like her to have?"
"Hmmm....red please"
"5th door on the right..."
"What color eyes...4th door on the left"
and so on and so on. By the 10th door, the guy opens it and finds himself back on the street!
REALLY aggravated, the guy walks frantically back in and yells at the front desk's really nice girl:"who here is the manage? I WANT TO SPEAK TO A MANAGER RIGHT AWAY!!".
A manager comes running from behind the smiley girl, approaches the guy, trying to shush him "sir, what happened? What's going on?".
"Look, I came in for a girl, I have been tossed around from one door to another, how tall, how old, what color hair and what's her mother's name and eventually found myself back on the street and you are asking me what's going on???".
Escorting him to the side so no one hears the manager leans forward to the guy and says:
"Look sir, we don't really have girls just yet but how do you like our service?"
