See this computer here on the left?
That's my little piece of hardware...my laptop! It's where I do my research, write articles, check emails, take notes, write loan applications, etc.
Truth be told I'm probably not functional without it! I mean sure I have another laptop that serves as my back-up but it's not the same thing.
For example, when your car breaks down, your inconvenienced. And as much as the car rental might be clean and smell new, it's just not the same as having your own car to drive around in. Or is it?
Well let me tell you a little story in customer service and treating the client right!
Background:
Yesterday, my laptop shut down on me. And I thought to myself,
"oh xxxx"
I didn't know what had happened! I plugged my charger in and turned it back on. I let it charge for a couple of minutes and then unplugged the charger to find the battery nearly full. But then again my computer shut down on me.
At this point I lifted the computer to inspect it a little closer and guess what I found?
My battery had inflated!
Yup...I have a fat battery. My guess is that I've overworked the darn thing from constant charging. I'm on the computer 24/7 at times and it's not always in the coolest of environments. I've had the same thing happen to my cell phone recently and it was explained to me that this is what happens when you over-charge a phone too long.
My next thought was,
"Jee great...what do I do now?"
I logged on to the web...inserted my mac serial number...requested a replacement battery...gave them my mailing address and in less than (5) five minutes...voila! I have a new battery being mailed to me! All I have to do is return my current battery in the package that will be mailed to me, which by the way includes pre-paid postage.
Now before I continue you have to pause and reflect for a moment on the profoundness of all of this! You see, being without a computer can cause severe trauma (and I know all you Real Estate Agents know what I'm talking about). I needed a replacement and not once did I have to call customer service...not once did I get transferred to a technician...not once was my call dropped or was I asked to leave a message for a return call.
Instead I got a rather simple answer and solution to my problem; it literally took less than (5) five minutes! Do you think I'm going to brag about Macs and how great they are now? You bet your @$& I am!!!
My Point:
Apple owns about a 5% market share, it has grown in almost .75 - 1% increments over the last several years. Their continued growth is due in large part to the fact that they take care of their customer. They have a great product and they push it out on the market with relative ease.
How? No one ever complains about their product. And when there's a
problem, they have a solution right away! No problems, no hassles, no delays. My example is a case in point!
Now if Apple owns a 5% market share and Microsoft owns 95% market share, can Microsoft afford to treat people with a little less quality in service? Of course. Can Apple afford to? Absolutely not! Not if they intend to increase their market share.
Lesson to Be Learned:
We (Real Estate Agents & Loan Originators) work in an overcrowded market! Like Apple we're trying to gain a larger market share. Like Apple, we should know that the way to do so it to treat people right. Provide a unique experience...give your clients the Ritz Carlton experience.
- When someone calls, answer your phone
- If it goes to voicemail, respond to your voicemails A.S.A.P. (AS SOON AS POSSIBLE)!!!
- If someone needs an answer right then and there and you can't get back to them NOW...at least revert them to your website or blog so they can access the information they need. That is after all what having a blog is useful for, to have information available 24/7
- If a client can't meet you at the office, meet them at their home or some other area local to them; I've made a habit out of meeting clients at a local Starbucks in Glendale
- If a client asks you a question to which you don't have an answer, say, "that's a great question. Let me look into that for you and get back to you shortly." Don't lie, tell the truth. They can tell when you're lying. And if you do, there goes the relationship!
- If a question is more appropriate to merit a Realtors® response and visa-versa, contact your partner and ask their insights
- If you have a Listing, schedule a weekly follow up call even if you don't have an update
- If you have a loan in processing, send out a daily "Status Update" email or a follow up call. You think you're bothering them? Believe me, you're not. They'd rather know that this transaction is getting done than not
Anything a client NEEDS, make it easy for them to get!
I don't know what I would do without a back-up!
We live in a fast paced world and information travels fast...if we're not connected we might miss something!
Ricardo - Great post as illustrating how to treat our customers. I love my receipts on my email from the Apple store. No chance then that I will loose the scrap of paper/receipt other stores give you. Just another example of great service! We just bought a Mac for the house and although I haven't used it much for work yet I have tinkered a little. My wife loves it and the kids are really enjoying it as well. Question - what browser are you blogging with on the Mac? I posted that question yesterday and the response I got was firefox.
Nice post. Apple is great. They had a bad batch of plastic on my MacBook and it cracked at the palm rest. Replaced in the store in a few hours, no questions asked. They also noticed my iPhone was cracked a tiny bit down in the corner. My fault - I dropped it running. Even so, they swapped that out too!
Southwest Airlines is another company that runs like this. Wish everyone did!
Jennifer: clients usually want an answer a.s.a.p. If we don't respond, they're likely to seek help elsewhere. They way we do when customer service puts us on hold when we're seeking help.
Bryant: I trust then that you'll be getting a Mac before Christmas??? Heck they even have a program called Parallels that let's you run a PC right on there.
Anyway, onward I go!
Missy: we most certainly do. And I think we do so more during the Holidays. That's why I found my situation interesting. I was amazed at how quickly and painlessly things were taken care of for me. It subtly served as a reminder that that's how we should be treating our customers.
Craig: Congratulations! I don't think she ever will :)
Shaun: it's like I said, we work in an overcrowded market. The only way to stand out is to provide impeccable customer service...the kind that people rave and rant about!
Tracey: I hear you on the PC's. I have one myself and it's horrible trying to get anything fixed if something were to go wrong. And don't even get me started on the viruses.
The Mac has always been excellent! Sure I found it odd that my battery blew up but it was taken care of with ease. I was so incredibly impressed!
Michael: hearing this is a first for me! But hey, whatever works works. My whole point is to live up to the impeccable service given to me yesterday.
Steve: glad the hear the computer is working well! I'm running on Firefox as well. Safari doesn't seem to work well with Active Rain or other websites.
Josette: I think everyone shares those sentiments...being caught dead in the water without a laptop!
If a client gets a unique experience, one they've never had before...they could be your best walking billboard. They'll be referring people to you without giving it a second thought!
Chelle: that's right, we are! But treat the client right and they'll rave about you to the world. And that's how we stand out above our overcrowded market.
Jason Edwards: you said,
I can't tell you how many times clients think this about Lenders and Realtors. Sure there are those of us that do things right but they still have these thoughts at the onset every time.
George: muchisimas gracias!
Jason Sardi: that's me alright!
Ricardo,
What a timely post! My computer froze up on me yesterday so I could not get on the internet. I ran the virus scan and all but nothing happened. It was very frustrating as we feel "naked' without the ability to check email or get on the internet to do business. However, the computer finally worked so I had no idea what happened yesterday. That was rather strange...
I agree that customer service is important, especially picking up phone calls when someone calls. I've done calling to agents on several occasions where it consistently go to voicemails....but the calls were not returned either. Great post!
Dave
Dave: glad to hear it's back up and running!
As for answering the phone, I'm sure it's everyone's pet peeve. I'd be happy to take a greater market share for those individuals that don't answer the phone!
Kelly: I honestly didn't know this could happen to a battery...in fact it's unheard of for me especially on a Mac. But I guess it's true!
Lisa & Robert: Thank's Bob! If you haven't done it yet, you might catch some good specials for the holidays :) My experience with a Mac has been a great one and thus far the customer service is top class!
Bob & Carolin: what's nice about the newer Macs is that if you're still a PC user you can install a program called Parallels which allows you to run a PC right off your Mac. It's pretty convenient as I need a PC to run my Loan Origination Software (LOS). Aside from that, all of the other features are similar to a PCs. Except it's my humble opinion that they operate faster :)
Ricardo:
I've been in love with the mac world for some time now... and I think you missed 2 eensy things:
1. when transferred to tech support (or...) I invariably get someone who's primary language is not English. (this is a real pain when I attempt to use my own vocabulary: thingy, wonky, etc.)
2. mac products are gorgeous. I mean sexy as all get out. And who doesn't love to have a sexy sleek consistently WORKING (laptop, ipod...)??
Love how you tied it all in to UVP. Bring it all back to the business... Customer focus is how to increase that 5%!
~Emily
The San Diego Real Estate Expert
Hi Emily,
I couldn't never explain these things in "Tech" talk either! My explanation is simpler than that...it doesn't work..fix it!
As for the laptops being sexy!!! I couldn't agree more with you there! They're so thin and light, and work so fast! They never crash either!!!
Anyway, nice to meet you and welcome to Active Rain!
Ricardo,
Thanks for the post. My 1st and second computers were Macs. Never had a problem however when I started in real estate I needed a PC to be compatable with the software my broker used for listings. After dealing with Dell for the past few years I forgot how great Apple was until I got an iphone recently.
The reason I bought the iphone was because my cell phone died on a Sunday night. I need my phone. Every place was closed except the Apple store is open 24 hours (excellent customer service & smart marketing too)
Last night I had a problem with the phone, no holding or waiting the guy from Apple stayed on the phone while I downloaded and upgraded software. It turns out my phone would work better if I had a Mac. So I'm ready for a new mac. My concern is the compatibility with real estate software although most everything we use now is internet based. I need a really fast computer. I think I will look into the powerbook pro. Thanks for the tip.
Very Good Points Ricardo. I think that Customer Service in many arenas have steadily declines over the years and I believe people are very frustrated with the lack of response and care they receive. The worst is the inability to reach a REAL person. "Press * for Tech Support" Press 1 for Account information" AAAAHHHHGGGGGGGGGG!!!!!
Mitchell: there's not doubt a Mac operates quickly. I still need a PC to run my LOS software too but I have a PC for that or I can run the PC on my Mac as well.
Dawn: see, now if we could only get our clients to say the same about us :)
Norma: that's exactly right Norma! Our clients could be our best walking billboards for referrals.
Sally: That is about as frustrating as calling someone and reaching their voicemail. You can bet that they're going somewhere else if that is the case.
Ricardo,
I am serious thinking that my next notebook will be an Apple. I have the new vista, and not a huge fan.
Gary: my godfather and younger brother just got the new Vista...I didn't think anything was wrong with it...
Well, just remember that if you do get a Mac, it doesn't support the LOS software we use. You need to either (1) install parallels so you can run a PC off your Mac or (2) have another PC handy
I hope all is well otherwise!
Excellent points! I have always heard great things about Apple......I have had an IBM Thinkpad for two years and love it.....no problems, knock on wood!
As far as customer service it's always those who provide outstanding service that get the referrals and repeat business.
I miss my IBM laptop...it was stolen!!! It was my first computer too :(
It's oh so true! We naturally brag about that good customer service or that nice looking hotel...that unique experience!!! So it's my goal as it should be everybody's...Customer Service is #1.
Ricardo,
That's an awfully big challenge. I guess you have to set your goals up there in order to be a big success. Thanks for the advice.
Tracy: the way Apple handled my broken battery was simply amazing! No problem...no hassles...five minutes and that was it! No questions asked!
I read this quote and it kind of inspired me,
There's a lot of truth in that statement. I suppose we fear being great sometimes because it means more work...more responsibility. Well, bring it on I say.
Thanks for sharing. I do not have an apple computer but I have heard of their great service.
Hi Gita,
I was just so impressed with their service!
I hope all is well in Bucks County!
A great reminder that great customer service is the best way to grow our business!
Kim Dillon, Creative Eye Home Staging
Ed: thanks!
Kathleen: you should get one! Don't they have some discounts going on right now? If they don't, they will be sometime soon.
Great post...we all forget the more we can do to make things easier in a transaction the better. We actually have a form that we have our clients fill out which asks them the prefered method of contact, and the frequency in which they would like to be communicated with. This avoids misunderstandings or perceptions of not being contacted frequently enough.
Anne
Sarah: why thank you! Sometimes we neglect the little things and I thought this would be an excellent reminder to live up to a level of world class excellence much needed for our continued success.
Joe: I've heard that to be the case. In fact at first, I didn't want to be a Mac user either...I was always comfortable with a PC myself. But an old employer, long before I ventured on to Real Estate, used Macs all throughout the office. So I learned, got acquainted with it all, and never turned back. Of course I still use a PC for my LOS software but that's mostly all.
Anne & Eddie: the more we do, the better the client feels! It's our job to do the thinking & stressing for them. They just have to sit back, relax and know that everything will be ok! I think your form is excellent. It's easy to neglect clients when we're going through a transaction. Email is always great and so are voicemails.
Matthew: but it's not just good customer service, it's Ritz Carlton status & world class service that make people brag about you.