Customer Service
Customer service is not a relic of the past but it sure seems like it some days. I’ve had difficulties with a streaming service for the past month or so and the aggravation was exaggerated by my inability to get the company to address the situation. Whenever I clicked on the “Help” button (you can’t actually talk to a person anymore it seems) I got a bot that would offer solutions to problems that I didn’t have or direct me to YouTube videos that showed me how to do the things I was already doing. So I’ve moved on. I dropped their service and replaced it with another. Within minutes they sent me emails asking to call them 24/7 to resolve the issue. Too little too late.
I know that you all have similar stories to tell. It’s frustrating. That’s why it’s always refreshing to hear stories about companies and/or people who go out of their way to offer a great product/service and also bending over backward to satisfy the customer.
When I was just starting out as a full-time guitar teacher I told a friend of mine (a piano teacher) that I wanted to be the best in the world. He went off on me for about ten minutes explaining why that was a very stupid goal. “It’s unmeasurable. There’s always going to be someone better. You’ll burn out trying to catch the wind. And so on..”
I explained that he was missing the point. The goal was to never become complacent. To be a much better teacher at 65 that at 30. That’s the only way I can keep from becoming bored. Although it’s worked and I’ve received a lot of compliments from my students and their parents over the years, I’ve never felt comfortable accepting those kind words. I’ve always known I could do even better. I was raised to “always do your best”. That code has allowed me to be successful enough to earn a modest living.
When I heard of Jimmy Buffets death this week I recognized that same ethos. I like his music (it’s hard not to) but I’m not a “parrot head”. However I really admired his desire to take care of his fans. It’s not just good business (although it most certainly is that) but it’s also the right thing to do. Taylor Swift has made a career out of taking care of her fans and her “Eras” tour is a true phenomenon.
In the late sixties and early seventies the rock and roll acts acted as if the fans were a necessary nuisance. They would even turn their backs to the audience while they played. It took acts like Alice Cooper and Kiss to break that mold. The Grateful Dead even encouraged their fans to make recordings of the concert and distribute the bootlegs. In the meantime country artists would meet their fans at Opryland and spend a day signing autographs and briefly chatting with each one. They had an understanding of the importance of showing gratitude to the folks that supported them.
We all work hard for our money and if we choose to spend it we would like to be appreciated and respected. Most companies at least try to. When they fall down on the job we usually understand. But when they don’t seem to care we get angry. If I ever act that way toward a student or customer I hope someone will hold me to account. I would like to be better at this at 95 than I was at 65 and that’s the only way I know how to do it.
