What happens when one the World’s best-known customer focused company’s is found out to be.. well, not really as customer focused, as we once believed? How’s about finding out that the same company is so overconfident and arrogant about its product that they allowed a flaw to possibly injury or kill their customers?

So what can other customer service( i.e. Real Estate Professionals) providers learn from Toyota’s massive FAIL!

  1. Customer Service orientated businesses (which is just about everyone) are not too BIG TO FAIL. Unless of course you are a big bank in which case the Federal government will gladly bail you out.
  2. Arrogance and overconfidence are the Achilles heals of great businesses and leaders. How many times have we heard this story, great company blows off upstart only to find out that the upstart was a diamond! Does anyone remember IBM blowing off Microsoft or how’s about the can’t miss deal of AOL and Time Warner. The bottom-line; learn how to check your ego early and often.
  3. Reputation is everything! When I was a much younger man and waited on tables I was told by a very savvy restaurant manager that customers vote with their feet. This means that you are not always going to get that complaint from your customer. Actually, what I have discovered in all my many years in the customer service field is that most customers will simply not use your business if they get bad service rather then complain. I try to think of it this way, for every one person that complains there are 10 that just walk away. I make it a priority to resolve every issue with a win-win solution in mind.
  4. Who has not heard of the old saying “ The Customer is Always Right!”? How different could the Toyota Total Fail have been if their customer service agent thought, “maybe just maybe the customer could be right”. Think of this next time you know your right!
  5. Always be nice!!!! The most damning part of Toyotas total fail episode was when a customer testified in congress about Toyota’s customer service response to her car accelerating out of control. A pleasant middle-aged woman who was right out of central casting for “sweet woman” testified about her horrifying experience. When she asked for a written response from Toyota about her car accelerating out of control she was given a letter that stated (in short) that her car works fine when used correctly. Wow, now that’s a smack down if I ever heard one.

So, let’s review! Customers are your lifeblood. If you let your ego, arrogance, or overconfidence get in the way of providing world class customer service your chances of succeeding are exactly ZERO!

Take care,

Chuck Rifae

Serving all of your Ashburn, Leesburg, Mclean and Loudoun County area Real Estate needs!

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