For as long as I can remember customer service IS and always has been marketing. Here is why- if you look up the definition of Marketing you’ll find a few “old school” definitions here is one….The American Marketing Association (AMA) states, “Marketing is an organizational function and a set of processes for creating, communicating and delivering value to customers and for managing customer relationships in ways that benefit the organization and its stakeholders.” And how is customer service defined? Per wikipedia- Customer service (also known as Client Service) is the provision of service to customers before, during and after a purchase.

For the life of me, I cannot understand how customer service got separated from Marketing? I think of it this way- customer service is real people interacting with real people a.k.a. prospects, suspects, customers to deliver on the value proposition of your company. Why do we think with the wave of popularity of SM will change this?

Before the internet (gasp- who remembers that?), the only face or voice customers experienced was sales folks or customer service folks. Before companies had websites, twitter, blogs and all the other SM stuff they had face to face or phone selling and customer service. Even back in those says customer service was marketing- we just called in good service back then

The suspicious side of me, says maybe customer service professional are really behind this entire initiative. What if they are driving this in evil underhanded attempt to get the respect and $$- budget allocations, they so desperately eed and deserve? After all customer folks everywhere are doing the most difficult job with the least amount of respect. I say, go for it, and I hope the effort makes significant changes for all customer service organizations.

So, while I don’t agree that social media is creating a new movement to re-define or re-position customer service as the new marketing, if the result is more companies pay attention to customers and build advocacy centers a.k.a customer service, client services, customer care organizations that are funded for success and have a voice in the company, then I’ll buy in to Customer Service is the new Marketing!

Today, I arrived to my deli counter and there was a big flat screen on a high stand about eye level, curious by nature, I check it out. And what to my astonishment is this, but a fully functioning touch screen to place my deli order. No kidding, nobody is using it, it must be too hard or maybe they ignore this machine like the beaming red number dispenser? I am feeling lucky today, okay, really in a HUGE hurry to get in and get out, so I touch the screen, it is so drop dead simple to use- a cave man could use it I click thru, there is offer to up-sell cheese, which is not too annoying, only 1 extra click. A receipt prints out and I hear a loud beep as it prints out behind the deli counter at the same time- no kidding.

I do the rest of my shopping, return to the deli in about 20 minutes, and there before my eyes in the deli case case is a pick up basket with my numbered receipt and my order all complete, ready to go. I feel like this is my lucky day. Its like the Southwest Airlines commercials with the people singing Hallelujah…… Normally I wait at least 15 minutes just to get attention from someone, and even when I reach the human I rarely get exactly what I asked for. Astonishing, this automation has saved me 15 minutes or more and my order is perfect to specification.

A minor cost to the store, and I am the happiest I have been since, well, my college days working in the deli when I never had to wait for my lunch meat. This one adjustment means I will shop at Fry’s, period. There are 3 other grocery stores within 1 mile of my house, and some are rumored to be cheaper- don’t care, this store has my business because they made my shopping experience 100% better with one simple adjustment.

I bet you know a few things your company could do, that are minor changes or low in costs that could add real value to your customer’s lives in the form of time, savings or convenience. And by doing so, you could create loyal customers to your brand who would be telling everyone- like I just did - go find it and fix it.

The next day I head into the office, where there are several “fruits”- affectionate nickname for Apple users. They have already heard about my new purchase. Is there some sort of underground notification system among Mac users that let’s them know when one of “the others” has been converted? Anyway, they are overflowing with the same excitement my h-band had, this is strange. Each one offers to help me “get adjusted” to this new way of working. I don’t dare tell any of them, the first PC I used back in the 80’s- seriously, was a MacIntosh, they would really think i was the old lady in the office. I am determined to do it on my own. I am a believer that you can teach old dogs new tricks. Before my first day is out, each of the “fruits” stops by to ask me- Have you had your “Mac moment” yet?

I wonder if this is what the kids are calling “it” these days, or was I in for something else? After some work, on my part, okay, mostly my h-band, if we are being honest, I am functioning with my new Mac. This “functioning” level goes on for quite some time. I can work effectively with a minimal amount of cursing. Each day at the office, one of the “fruits” sticks their head in my office and says- Well, has it happened yet? your Mac moment? I reply, nope, not yet, to which I a met with a very disapproving look. I shrug, and wonder why they care so much about me being happy with my Mac. I’ll admit there are some things on my Mac that make life easier, most are related to sharing between people, applications and devices. My h-band has been making sure I know about and use the latest tools available including Time Machine- clue to what is about to come.

Fast forward to last week, h-band text me while I am at the gym for my login to my computer, and a strange, when was the last time you logged in? Hmmm, this is odd, I call him on my way home, and that is when it happens- he says, your laptop is dying, it will not boot up. My first thought is, is this my Mac moment? and if so, those “fruits” have a dark sense of humor.

We make an appointment at the Genius Bar over Labor Day weekend- yes, it is a total mad house. I am greeted by the genius assigned to my case. I don’t want to name him, because I don’t want to get him in trouble for what comes later. He plugs in a magic genius tool, and makes a long face. He comes around the desk, imagine a sick loved one and serious Dr. coming to give you the bad news. He tells me, the hard drive is dying/dead and I need a new one. I again think is this my Mac moment? He says my MacBook is not under warranty, and that it would costs quite a bit if I had him do the work. Or, we could just purchase a new HD at electronics store and replace it ourselves for about $100. He shows us how to remove the old HD and how to install the new one in.

We head off to pick up the new HD, my h-band installs the new HD, and then it happens. Since my machine was being backed up, regularly by Time Machine, it has just backed up- without me doing a thing, a few hours before the HD went bad. My MacBook was restored to exactly the state it was in a few days before, as if nothing happened. As if nothing had happened……ah ha, I realized, this is my Mac moment.

What makes this Mac moment possible? Well a ton of thought clearly goes into how Apple products and services work together. It is apparent Apple considers how frustrated people can get when things don’t work together. In addition, Apple provides me tools that perform without me having to think about them- which in todays busy times is essential. It is not enough for technology to just work, or not make our lives harder, it needs to improve my life and give me time back. This is exactly what Apple delivers. Their strive to achieve customer loyalty goes across everything they do, whether it is the website, the product, the software, the iphone or in the store. I get more than I expected, and often get a solution to a problem I didn’t know I had…yet.

So, I am officially a “fruit” now, and intend to tell anybody who will listen about my Mac moment, and yes, I’ll be one of those dorks, asking you if you have had your Mac moment yet- just smile and know its coming for you too!

So most airlines have recently changed things up, but they did nothing to re-set my expectations. They made changes that benefit them and their revenue goals/operating-costs without taking into consideration their customer base and how we would feel about the changes. In an industry well-known for putting the customer last, they have sunk to new lows in terms of handling the recent changes.  

Luckily there is one beam of shining light amidst all of this: it is Southwest Airlines. Southwest used to be known as the “no frills” airline, however they now offer more frills and benefits than all of the major airlines: 

• Their ticket prices are still extremely reasonable 
• They still give you a free beverage and a bag of peanuts 
• They don’t charge extra for checked bags 
• They have the most flexible rules for ticket refunds and changes 
• They have an easy-to-understand frequent flyer program without many restrictions on cashing in miles for tickets
• Their captains and crews are nice and often inject humor into the flight announcements that we’ve all memorized

I don’t know why Southwest can go on with business as usual and the other airlines can’t, but I guess it has something to do with better strategic and financial planning.   

Southwest has won my loyalty and I will fly them whenever I can because they are creating Loyalty Moments for me, and for many others, with the flexibility they’ve always demonstrated and their continued desire to treat me like a valued customer.

This is important: a Loyalty Moment can be created by the simple act of KEEPING THINGS THE SAME. A company can win loyalty by keeping things status quo and giving people a feeling of stability and security in a world that doesn’t offer much of that right now.  

So, the birthday came and went, and we waited.  To my astonishment, one week after our purchase Shasta sent us a handwritten note of thanks for our business, and recommitting her promises to us.  Then to my further surprise, Shasta called me half way thru our wait, just to let me know she checked with Stanley on the now famous bed, and it was in process, somebody at Stanley was actually making the bed!  Shasta, true to her word, really cared that we got our bed, she called again, 2 weeks later to tell me the bed had arrived at their warehouse, and I should get a call the next day to set delivery.  I didn’t get a call the next day. I thought really, can the bed be this close and yet still so far away.  

I called Shasta, she got the warehouse manager to call me and set delivery.  The bed arrived on a Wednesday almost 5 months after we began the process.  My 3 year old, had so much anticipation for her new bed, I feared no matter how cool it was, she would be disappointed.  She took one look at her new bed and said, “Mommy its Grapalicious, I love it”.  Yes, the famous bed is purple, not just purple, but GRAPE and we love it. Thanks Shasta for restoring my faith that there are people out there who really care about their customers, Shasta performed all 10 common sense service principles, which why she and Norwood received a Perfectly Plum rating on our experience. And they have earned my business for life.

After we had the furniture for a while and the wood had time to breathe and expand, several of the drawers started sticking- so much so that we could not open them at all. They would not budge. My husband refused to accept this and in his efforts to force them open with brute strength, he broke off three of the drawer handles. Great…I muttered to myself…we have sticky drawers and broken handles.

Here’s the good part….about 4 months after we purchased the furniture, I phoned Sam’s Club and they said if we could find someone to fix the drawers and fax them over a quote, they would reimburse us. This was a really big Loyalty Moment for me! They listened to me and offered me an easy solution. So I found someone, aptly named the Furniture Medic, who gave me an estimate. I faxed the estimate to Sam’s Club and within about 5 business days they had reimbursed me the full estimated repair amount. They also gave me the phone number and contact name for the furniture manufacturer in Missouri, who I called and who promptly mailed me 3 replacement drawer handles. Now our set is as good as new and I am a raving fan of Sam’s Club service. This process - of getting me the money back and getting me new drawer handles - was so smooth and efficient. A true example of process excellence and very unexpected.

I was pleasantly surprised and delighted to get such prompt and courteous service from a ”discount warehouse.” This was another huge Loyalty Moment for me - I am truly willing to continue shopping at Sam’s Club and in the future, if they screw something up, I know I will give them the benefit of the doubt and expect that they will fix it with care and in a timely manner.

When we made the decision to buy new furniture from Sam’s Club online, I was questioning our common sense, but now I know that I would do it again. Not for the furniture necessarily, but for the stellar issue handling! It is what made the difference for me.