A Tale of Two Companies
Customer service is one of my passions…good customer service that is. For years I managed a team of Sales Support leaders who worked daily not only with external clients but with every internal team from sales to legal. They were constantly being challenged to provide excellence in customer service. I’m a believer that my Mom’s motto holds true for any business - “You can attract more bees with honey than vinegar.” When I began managing a junior sales team, this excellence still held true. You won’t close a sale if you don’t provide stellar customer service even before they become your client.
Recently I had encounters with two companies that were excellent examples in customer service. My first encounter was with Spotify. I use Spotify to listen to music and various playlists I’ve saved to my library. It’s free, which I love, and it’s helped me fall asleep more times than I can count when my mind just wouldn’t shut down. A few weeks ago I got an email stating that my email for Spotify had changed. The new email address was some crazy bunch of letters and numbers at a domain from Denmark. The message was the generic, “If this was you, please ignore, if not, contact us.” So I contacted Spotify support. I received a thank you email for my inquiry and that I would hear from someone soon.
I was able to still access Spotify for a bit, then it logged me out. I listen to music a lot via Spotify so I was ready to get this resolved. I finally did receive an email instructing me that my original email was reinstated and I could reset my password. I was able to get back into my account and reset my password. Whew, thank you Spotify.
I’m amazed at people that have so much time on their hands that they go into a free Spotify account, where there is no benefit to hacking the email login, and change it up. I mean, I do have some remarkable playlists and I hope this listener got to enjoy some praise and worship music before I locked him back out. Businesses are begging for workers and we’ve got people changing email address logins as a hobby.
In that same week, I had ordered groceries from Kroger. Each week I place a grocery order and a friend graciously picks it up for me and helps me put the goods away since I’m limited in my ability to do so. The same friend has done it so long now that she knows where most things go. I put away the pantry and fridge items and she does the rest, asking me if she’s unsure of where something goes. I had ordered some Aleve and was charged for it, but didn’t realize until the next day it wasn’t received. I had assumed my friend had stashed it away in its normal place.
I decided to go to my trusty Kroger app and see if I could get a refund. I started with the chat option, but no one ever connected to help me. I decided to email and take my chances. It worked even better than Spotify! I sent an email explaining the situation and provided my Kroger Plus ID to see if they could refund me. Not only did I hear back, but I got a phone call! A representative called me the next day or so and confirmed that Kroger would apply a credit to my account in the amount of $5 (the product was $4.29), and add an additional $10 credit for my trouble. Now that’s customer service at its finest.
The representative explained that I could just let the cashier know when my Kroger ID was input and they would credit my bill for $15. I explained that I don’t go in the store and only do pickup, and they were quick to explain how to note my order in a way where the $15 credit would be applied. On my next order, I followed his instructions and voila! Credit applied!
In a time of inflation and high gas prices, it’s good to know that companies are quick to make things right. And I can’t help but attribute the swiftness of these resolutions to the world of technology we live in. In just two emails, my problems were resolved. Plus, Kroger gave it the personal touch by calling me to ensure my refund was properly given.
There is a lot of negativity in the world right now and far too little unity in our land. It’s refreshing to be treated to the finest in customer service for the seemingly smallest of issues.