I always love when someone HAS to tell me a great customer service story. You know why? It never happens. OK, maybe once or twice but the “norm” is to be dissatisfied. That’s why when Sean Smith said he had a tale to tell, I had to give him a forum to share.
“Once in a while you get customer service that leaves you sitting there just saying “wow”. I’m not talking about one offs, either. I am talking the “this-is-just-the-way-we-do-it” customer service. Over the past couple of months, I have been experiencing that kind of service and it is well worth sharing.
It starts with a Peer Recommendation…
One day, I saw a Facebook post about a company, based in the Comox Valley that was helping a friend with his sleep apnea. Having the same issue, I looked into the company. Nice website, no social media, but a recommendation from a friend was enough for me to call, especially considering that my ribs were black and blue from my wife poking me every time I stopped breathing while I was asleep.
Peer recommendations are a great way to get the word out, about your product or service, as they bear much more weight than any ad or other marketing. There is an instant trust factor that comes into play. So, with that in mind, I placed my first call to Island C.P.A.P., to see if they could help me out. This was late Wednesday afternoon.
After a brief conversation, talking about the service they offered and what I would need to do to take part in their testing to see if their one-month trial would work, I was left with “we will get it couriered out to you ASAP”. OK. Great. I should have it before the weekend. You can imagine my surprise when the testing device and paperwork showed up at my door the next morning. This would be the first of many “wow” moments in dealing with this company.
The Less The Customer Has to Do, The Better
I opened the box and there was the testing device, the paperwork and a pre-paid return package, for when I was done. Seriously! Labeled and everything. All I have to do is take the test, fill out the paperwork and pack the stuff up. I called the courier the next morning and the package was picked up at the door and it was away to the Island C.P.A.P. offices. Boom! Done! Wow.
By Friday morning, I got a call from the company telling me that they got my testing equipment back and were hoping to get all the results back by next week, so that they can assist in the determination of which course of action would be best for me. As I hung up, there was a realization that I went from, “I think I will call this company” to “we will have your test results back next week” in less than 48-hours, and I did it all from my home, via the phone. More wow.
Stay There. We Will Come To You.
The next week, I get a phone call with my results. Do you want to give our test unit a go? Excuse me? You are asking me if I want to go ahead, rather than telling me I should go ahead? In this age of the hard sell, it was refreshing to know that there are companies out there that still want to hear it from the customer. Arrangements were made for the salesperson to come to my home. Ah, this must be where the hard sell happens. You know, “the sales person that talks a mile-a-minute convinced that the results of the test will be enough to scare me into getting this expensive machine to help me sleep.” Again, I was in for a surprise.
Here comes Mike, the owner of the company. Turns out that while he does have a small staff, he likes to handle his new clients, personally. After a run through with the new machine, I am shown how they will monitor my sleep via a little cellular device. Being a tech geek, I found that cool. What I wasn’t prepared for was a weekly phone call from Mike, letting me know how my sleep was progressing and asking if there was anything questions or help I need. When I needed a new mask, it was there the next day. Impressive.
At the end of the trial, I was again asked if I wanted to go to the next step. While the fact that I was actually sleeping through the night and feeling better was enough to sell me, it was the amazing attention I got as a customer that ensured that I was going to stay with this company for as long as I could. Mike and the Island C.P.A.P team, through their efforts to offer amazing customer service, made sure of that!”
Thanks for sharing this Sean. Great customer service is about long-term relationship building not “one-and-dones”. To truly wow someone, you have to connect with them on a personal level. Island Sleep did a great job of that. Oh, and I have to give a big congrats to Sean who’s been nominated for a Social Media Camp award. Well done sir!
