Warning: Improve Customer Service—Or Else

(page 3 of 3)

Then, as icing on the cake, none of the USB ports on the back of the new Apple monitor worked.

Lesson learned: Dell makes an exceptional 24-in. monitor that works wonderfully on any Macintosh. Its cables are long enough to accommodate any office setup, and it costs hundreds of dollars less.

You've probably seen the commercials touting the ease of buying appliances from Lowe's: Free next-day delivery, installation and removal of the old appliance. So, it had come time to do some major remodeling around our house, and the first item on the list was a new Bosch dishwasher. It took more than 30 days to get it into the store, but on a Saturday afternoon recently Lowe's called to inform me the washer was in. "When are you going to come in and pick it up?" they asked.

I reminded the salesman of the company's ads: free delivery and installation, and haul-off of the old appliance. "Oh," he replied. "You want us to do that?"

Well, yeah. So it was scheduled for early that Monday. And promptly at 7:45 Monday morning, their driver dumped the new dishwasher, still in the box, in the middle of the kitchen and gave me the receipt. What about installing it and removing the old one, I asked. The driver said, "I don't do that; you'll have to call the store and have it set up." So I did. Their response was that in Texas you have to have a plumber's license to install a dishwasher, so they don't offer the service. Additionally, I was informed, unless you completely disconnect the old appliance and have it out in a convenient location, they don't haul it away.

My brother-in-law has worked for Sears repair for decades, so I asked him if a plumber's license is required to install a new dishwasher. He said it might be true, but even if it is, no one else selling appliances is leaving stuff in the middle of a kitchen floor still in the box.

Lesson Learned: Lowe's executives: That was the first of five major Bosch appliances to be purchased in our remodeling. I purchased the rest from AJ Madison online.

There are exceptions to today's sales and service malaise. Texas super dealer and author of Customers for Life, Carl Sewell has been dealt more than his fair share of disappointments this year due (he owns 3 Saab and 2 Hummer stores), yet he is easily on his way to his company's second most profitable year in its history—possibly his best. "Nothing has changed about exceptional customer service," according to Sewell. "It's just that," he says, "most companies don't fully appreciate the fact that in uncertain times organizations can not just capture and hold their current customer base, but actually extend it by catering to their needs in ways that others simply ignore."

I'm not saying that the economy would come roaring back quickly if America's sales people were playing their A game. But there's no doubt we will start to see winners and losers at retail soon. Those who win will be those that consistently give customers the best buying experience.

Ed Wallace is a recipient of the the Gerald R. Loeb Award for business journalism, given by the G. and R. Loeb Foundation, and is a member of the American Historical Society. His column leads the Fort Worth Star-Telegram's "Sunday Drive" section. He reviews new cars every Friday morning at 7:15 on Fox Four's Good Day, contributes articles to BusinessWeek Online, and hosts the top-rated talk show Wheels Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on 570 KLIF.

Business Exchange

Track and share business topics across the Web.