Customer Service Question

[Big Poppa]

Lets have a dialogue



Should EBMM respond greater to a customer because someone complains the loudest?

Should I make exceptions in customer service becasue someone has demanded to talk to me?

I want your thoughts......I want customer service to bend over backwards within reason on be fair to all......But I think that many customers think that we should play favorites

 

[Raz]

Lets have a dialogue



Should EBMM respond greater to a customer because someone complains the loudest?

Should I make exceptions in customer service becasue someone has demanded to talk to me?

I want your thoughts......I want customer service to bend over backwards within reason on be fair to all......But I think that many customers think that we should play favorites

I don't understand your last statement BP, in what ways would somebody be considered a favorite?

Aside from that as I said before I agree with what you posted earlier. Customer service doesn't belong on these forums. I honestly felt a little insulted when I read some of the silly complaints. Perhaps these people felt they had reason to complain, but posting about it on an open forum, and I'm just talking about warranty issues, just doesn't seem right.

 

[Big Poppa]

by playing favorites i think that they want to be considered an exception usually by getting nasty with the receptionist first azaih next and the scotty or dan or steve then they try dudley and then brian and then me.

 

[kbaim]

I don't think EB customer service needs to be improved...or changed.
As for you getting involved, I'd say only if you feel the need to on those rare occasions. Probably not the best use of your time.

 

[koogie2k]

Should they respond faster due to someone being the loudest?

No. If that were the case, you guys/gals at EBMM would be deaf in 3 hours time......

Should YOU make exceptions because someone wants to talk to YOU?

Absolutely NOT. You have a system in place and that system works just fine. Actually, better than fine...it is EXCEPTIONAL! Some people feel they will get more if they talk to the owner of a business without realizing that the owner is too busy to take all calls personally. That is why Customer Service is in place. It is given it's rules and regs as set forth by you and others....basically, it is like talking to you personally. No exception should be made just because someone wants to talk to you. They should only have to be directed to you personally by the CS rep who may find that it is the best way to deal with a problem....but only then. I would love to talk to you about my guitar problems...hehehe...but, then you would not be able to have time to design and come up with stuff for us in the future....so, I'll refrain! LOL

Your Customer Service already bends over backwards for ALL customers. I will not bring up past posts, but we on the forum, have seen some of that. Some things went above and beyond the call of duty. But, that is your nature. It is a great trait you have in wanting everyone to be satisfied and happy. Nothing wrong with that. Unfortunately, people will try and take advantage of that.....something I find rather sad.

If someone has a problem or complaint...call Customer Service and let those fine people help you out and work with you. That is what needs to be done. That is what I did and the results were tremendous. Did I get "special treatment" ? No, I just did not put out something on the forum that to me could have been handled by CS, which it was. They are wonderful and I have said it many time....the absolute BEST!

My 2 pennies.

 

[Devnor]

I recently shipped back a JP7 I waited months to receive.

The best customers EBMM or any company might lose dont complain at all. We just go quietly on to other things.

 

[Raz]

by playing favorites i think that they want to be considered an exception usually by getting nasty with the receptionist first azaih next and the scotty or dan or steve then they try dudley and then brian and then me.

OK that's what I thought you meant...first off your a business man, and you run a very successful business that goes above and beyond most other product oriented businesses. Musical stuff aside, I would love to see your plan of action in many other companies. Just for that fact that you take PRIDE in your product elevates your company to a whole new level, something you just don't see anymore, that old school approach ." Do it right the first time".
Now on top of this you create a forum, that I consider to be #1 amongst forums, that gives user a wealth of information. Plus your customer service, as is, still dwarfs that of other companies...so my answer is...keep things just the way they are

 

[blackspy]

If we're talking about anyone who visits the forums.....

I'd wager that part of it stems from the very laid back attitude here on the forum. Where forum members have discussions about everything, *with* Dudley, Sterline, JP, Luke, etc... where else can you do that? In most cases a company like EB/MM with a forum uses the forum for support questions and things like that. Essentially, this is an EB/MM 'fan' forum. Perhaps a very explicitly separated forum for support/customer service issues would be in order? That's the forum end of it anyway. Perhaps some think that if Big Poppa regularly visists the the forum he's generally available to anyone who calls in as well?

As far as getting nasty with CS, I've seen people do this, in fact I'm probably guilty of it myself once or twice with some companies. I don't know if someone like that has ever been to the forum or not. If not, they likely do not understand EB's unusual dedication to their customers and 'assume' that they're another company like .... ( you can figure these out) and they *don't* want to help their customers so being nasty is the only way you get attention for your issue. In alot of cases, that is the only way to get anything resolved. Perhaps its more of a misunderstanding or wrong assumption from the get go.

Unless you are someone who has some previous rapport with Dudley or Sterling, or whoever I wouldn't think it appropriate to even consider that a particular issue would be of interest to them. Demanding to speak to them I guess would be the equivalent of "I want to speak to your supervisors supervisor.", kind of thing. No, I don't think exceptions should be made, unless you have any kind of personal relationship with the customer in question. In which case, it likely wouldn't be an issue to begin with. If that makes sense.

 

[kbaim]

Maybe I'd see that all the guitar players were taken care of BEFORE the bass players.

 

[tommyindelaware]

typically....they should just get in line..........

exceptions mabey can be made mabey w/ a professional who's income would be affected...........but that should be at your discression.
another exception could be if they are rude they could be put in a special priority section.............(last)

i had had nothing but exceptional service from your customer service people since my first contact w/ them back in 88 or so..........

Lets have a dialogue



Should EBMM respond greater to a customer because someone complains the loudest?

Should I make exceptions in customer service becasue someone has demanded to talk to me?

I want your thoughts......I want customer service to bend over backwards within reason on be fair to all......But I think that many customers think that we should play favorites

 

[Raz]

Just for the fact that you are asking us for advice on this matter speaks volumes...

 

[SteveB]

Big Poppa,

I don't think you should necessarily do more for the loudest complainers. Treating everyone equally is probably best. I see nothing wrong with stating a policy and sticking to it. Perhaps the policy will morph a bit as new situations present themselves.. you can then choose the precedent that you want to set and incorporate it into the policy. (And I'd put "No demanding to talk to Sterling, as he has his own job to do!" at the top of that policy..)

I certainly don't think that you should be handling customer service even if someone asks for you by name and you decide to hear them out.. you are already paying people to handle those tasks, and they are quite capable. This becomes a non-issue if the policy is clearly laid out and everyone at EBMM follows the same framework.

However, if you personally choose to bend over backwards for a particular customer to the point where your back breaks, that is your business. I would ask that person to keep it under their hat and not post their story here, though. (Lest others point to it and ask for the same treatment.)

I am always amazed at the lengths you will go to for your customers. It is reassuring to me as a Music Man customer to know that I will always get a fair shake from you and your staff.

I do have a different concept about the forum and customer service though. In nature, things tend to seek the path of least resistance. Therefore, in this internet age, people with customer service issues are likely to turn up on the forum first (especially international customers who may not have confidence in their English speaking skills) before they call a phone number.. even a toll-free one.

I think it might be prudent to somehow have customer service employees accessible via the forum. Perhaps a 'private' area could be created where folks with C/S issues *must* post, but only EBMM employees can read it. This would give your C/S folks the first shot at resolving the issue without everyone in the universe knowing about it. Moderators can redirect anyone who posts publicly, and delete public threads before they are cached by Google.

If not a message forum, perhaps you could implement some sort of web-based Help Desk where people with issues can input their problem and get a ticket number. Then they could communicate via email or private forum with your staff, referencing the ticket # at all times. You could recycle that ticket number as a return authorization number if the issue requires returning the instrument to SLO.

So, those are my initial thoughts about the dialogue you requested.

 

[DaveB]

I had started to type in a lengthy response but now I've read Koogs post there is no point. He's said everything that I would have done.

Your customer service rules - do not mess with it

I wouldnt have a problem with certain posts being removed from the forum if you deem them to be CS issues and potentially inflammatory.

Dave

 

[Big Poppa]

Devnor,

Thanks for your post. seriously.

You and Jeffrey have the same problem. There was too much top coat on your headstocks and the touching wasnt wood but the finish. Unnacceptable however.

You first posted a complaint on 9-13, and then continued to threaten to put the guitar away, claim people were getting hosed and, threaten a refund.

We finally got your guitar back YESTERDAY. Jon and Dudley are conferring right now. There are several possible fixes and I don't like the one that was picked. Your and Jeffreys guitars will be made right and I have instructed engineering to make a small diagonal cut on future JP necks to avoid the top coat issue.

As far as having to wait for your guitar, that is part of the deal and you were aware of it. As far as there being a problem we all feel bad about it and will do our best to make it right, even if we have lost you.

It is my position that things can go wrong and when they do I try to give the offending party the opportunity to rectify the problem.

 

[Mick]

I think EBMM already does way more than the other companies-so just leave it the way it is.
Nothing to add.
Mick

 

[SteveB]

In addition to my earlier post, I'd like to say that anyone getting nasty on the phone with the receptionist or Aziah should have their call transferred to a mental institution admissions office.

How can you be irate with someone who just happened to answer the phone? Hell, I'd be ecstatic just to reach an actual human being when I'm calling with an issue.. and not have to wade through a voice menu system that ultimately drops my call after 20 minutes of prompting and transferring.

And how could anyone be nasty to sweet little Aziah? That's just wrong.

 

[koogie2k]

Good point...however, not everyone has met Aziah or anyone at EBMM. So, you get the person who has a problem and they think that by being mean and nasty that will get them the satisfaction they are looking for. That's too bad because everyone I met at EBMM has been nothing but nice, polite, cooperative and above all...just super cool people. Talk to them like you would your mom.....that is of course, if you love your mom...LOL

With that said, the old proverb is this....You catch more flys with honey than vinegar......maybe if tact and politeness were used, your problem would be more readily resolved and the person with the complaint will walk away feeling better. Not only that, they received great service, but also knowing they just talked to someone who cares and will see that they (EBMM) actually CARE!

 

[beej]

Though I haven't had to call EBM customer service, I routinely do for all the vendors I deal with - it's always the same story. There's no such thing as a perfect customer service department - anywhere. When people are calling up with problems, they're often upset and expect an immediate fix. The best you can do is be polite (as you listen to often absurd complaints) and straight-forward about the solution and the length of the response time. I find the single best thing you can do is have a single point of contact - so that you've got one name/number to follow up with (if only that would happen with my current vendors).

From what I gather, EBMM's customer service is just that- friendly, upfront, honest. (I'd like to say I look forward to calling one day ... but let's hope not.) Knowing what I do about BP and the people that work at EBMM, I know that every process inside the company has a personal touch by BP and that there's no "machine" customers get stuck inside.

I'd say keep it like it is- no exceptions for anyone, no allowing customer complaining on the forum, and do the incredible job you guys already do. You're going to have the odd unhappy customer, and nothing in the world will change that. But the fact that you listen with open ears does, in fact, speak volumes about your character.

I defy anyone to find a better COMPANY (let alone a musical instrument company) to deal with!

(The ramblings of a madman who has't had his coffee yet.)

 

[Devnor]

Sterling,

You dont know half the story but it's all in the past and I've moved on to Dubaldo. You guys are also building my Silo bass at this moment. This would make my 6th EBMM.

Interesting you even saw my post. It's funny what you call a "complaint" was my attempt at fixing a guitar that I need w/o having to send it back. I see you guys bending over backwards to help people with issues related to used instruments. Instead of offering any simple advice like "We need this one back" you take a jab at me. Nice.

 

[dmkozak]

A few thoughts.

... But I think that many customers think that we should play favorites

I thought all your customers were your favorites!

FWIW, my thoughts keep coming back to "treat others the way you would like, hope or expect to be treated" (recognizing the "treater" is a business and can't give away solutions to problems that weren't the "treater's" fault).

Treat others based on the quality of their character and problem, not on the forcefullnes of their complaint.

BP, if you, and the rest of the EBMM folks, didn't have a history of generally "doing the right thing", you wouldn't have the broad-based customer support you currently enjoy. And, if maintaining this broad-based customer support wasn't so important to all of you, then you wouldn't be concerned about this. That you are concerned demonstrates you are moving forward on the path of quality customer relations.