Why I'm Tempted to Take Over Customer Service

So yesterday, my frustration peaked again with companies that act like they really don't want your business.

I have spent a disproportionate amount of time trying to get home internet in the last three weeks.  Without boring you with the details, here are some of my frustrations:

• The modem for my original ISP died December 14th.  It was 10 days out of warranty.  They would not honour the warranty and were going to charge me for a service call and a new modem.  I purused other options.
• One company billed me $376 for a new install on home internet, and then did not call me for 10 days.  I called them several times and finally canceled when they were still unable to do an install or explain what happened.  I got a full refund, but no internet.
• Another company said they had two potential solutions.  One was not in stock anywhere in Central Ontario and no store knew why.  The company wasn't shipping new units, leaving the local dealers at a loss to figure out what happened.
• I bought portable internet in another form from that company.  It wouldn't install on my computer (and the signal strength wasn't that great.)  They gave me a full refund.  But then their parent company billed me for the first month anyway.  They refunded it.  Spent over five hours in line or on hold in the process though.
• I went back to my original company for new technology they offer.  It's been nine days.  They promised an install in 3-5 days.  No one has called.  I have called them twice.  They sent the order to the wrong store.  No apologies.
• Total time invested in getting home internet - probably 10-12 hours in the last three weeks.  Yikes.
• I still have no home internet.  Maybe today.  Maybe tomorrow.

I'd really love to take over the customer service industry.  I'd love to bring back a customer centered angle.  At Starbucks recently they forgot to put vanilla in my drink.  I brought it back (only because I'm not man enough to drink it black).  They offered to make me a new one (not necessary, I said, so they just put vanilla in my drink) and then they gave me a coupon for a free drink next time.  Now THAT'S what I'm talkin' about... They exceeded my expectations.

Sometimes I think that many people would rather defend the institution than serve the customer.  And here's what worries me...do we do that in the church?  I worry that the answer is yes. 

When we meet people, are we more interested in how we can serve them or how they can serve us?  When any organization becomes more interested in how people can serve us, we lose our soul. You don't need to know much about Jesus to know that somehow the Gospel takes the side of serving others, not self.

What good practices/bad practices do you see in the church (any church)?  And what can we do to get a service mentality back?

Comments

[Tina Harkey]

I think besides our local cable/internet company (when my motherinlaw passed away they disconnected our cable instead of hers and we had to wait 15 days because of their fault to have it reconnected that Toys R' Us has the worst customer service.

My daughter received two of the same game for Christmas. One from me and one from her step sister. I didn't take the time to find my receipt. Went to the store. They said without the receipt they couldn't even exchange it (this is a hot game that they were out of stock on). They said it was a corporate policy and to call 1800toysrus. Which I did while standing in there store.

1800 told me that the store manager could take the game back, but that that wasn't their policy so he probably wouldn't. He wouldn't. But they told me something the store didn't that if I had the card I bought it on they could pull it up. No one offered that option.

I decided to leave. I went to Kmart. They gladly took back the game (it was on sale and they didn't have any). I had also returned a keyboard to toys r us that I had a receipt for. Took the money and spend $100 in kmart buying another keyboard.

Kmart had wonderful customer service. They were smiling, friendly and were helping all the customers - not just me. Toys R Us employees all had frowns and were just rude in general.

[Peter P]

My brother in law bought my wife a photobook from Apple for Christmas.

When it arrived it had the right cover but someone elses pictures inside.

He asked for a full refund and express delivery of the book he actually ordered - and they gave it to him. Now that's service! I'll buy from them just because I know they care enough about their customers to fix it when they screw up.

One of my bosses taught me everything I ever need to know about customer service and the point he always stressed was this: fix the customer. Whether you can fix the problem or not is irrelevent as long as the customer is happy.

As far as the church goes I think we can sometimes get it wrong when we do everything we can to serve people but we don't meet their needs.

There is a difference between making someone feel warm and fuzzy and giving them a life-changing experience.

I'm reminded of the show 'Extreme Makeover: Home Edition' in the show they don't just put a new coat of paint on people's houses and make it look a little prettier while leaving them still with the problems underneath and bills to pay, they give them a new house and often pay off their mortgages and medical bills maybe giving them a new car - they change those people's lives.

While the church can't buy everyone a brand new house and pay off their debts and give them all jobs we do need to make sure we are serving them in a more real way than just making them feel good on a sunday morning - that kind of feel-good factor wears off by Monday or Tuesday.

To get the right kind of mentality back I think we need to learn to die to ourselves and not just serve people on a Sunday morning and wednesday night but be there serving them in our communities day-in, day-out.

[Richard Yeomans]

I like the story Andy Stanley told in his prayer series about the "no point church" sign. Unless we continually keep fresh what our purpose is, we can get pretty self absorbed in our own little worlds. Getting involved keeps us engaged and thinking like Jesus.