Customer Service and What it Means to You

By Mathew Schulz, CVLS, CML President, Residential Loan Programs, CAR Foundation Board Member

Hello, my wonderful partners from the Colorado Association of REALTORS®. It is my pleasure to be bringing you my next edition of Notes from A Mortgage Professional. This quarter, I am going to change things up a bit. Most of my columns are around mortgage programs, rates, the rate environment, or predictions for the future (which, like most economists, I get it wrong more than I get it right it seems). Many of you likely yawn and turn the page – yeesh, I hope NOT!

This quarter, my mission is to inspire you. Inspire you to do better, inspire you to hold your business partners to a higher standard, and inspire you to change your outlook in business and how we interact with each other in general. But wait a minute Mathew, I thought we were discussing customer service, not listening to a Tony Robbins’ speech. I promise you, with the words and thoughts ahead of you in this article, not only will your business thrive, but if we were to approach life in this manner, I do believe we would be living happier and more peaceful lives.

Who among us has not had an awful customer service experience, and not just a bad one, but a horrible one, one that made you want to scream and lose your temper and jump out of your office window (on the first floor)? Personally, I think of being on the phone with a particular cable company, on my third call in to fix the same problem that still exists. I have taken two afternoons off work so that a technician can come to the house between 12:00pm-7:00pm because scheduling messed up and nobody came on the first day. After being on hold for 23 minutes, the first call was disconnected going from the first operator to the second in the “appropriate department”. Now, I get to sit on hold the same amount of time, pray that the agent properly transfers me this time, and all of this after they refused my request to speak with a manager. Finally, once I am successfully transferred to the proper agent, they apologize and offer me a $5 credit on my monthly bill that tops $300 every month. I can feel your blood boiling right now as mine is.

Sit for a minute and ponder a situation like this that you have experienced. Think of all the ways you would’ve handled this situation differently had you been on the other side of the phone. Ask yourself these questions: Was I heard? Did I get the true feeling that those I was dealing with were sincerely listening to me? Did they have compassion and empathy, or defensiveness and sarcasm in their voice? Did I feel rushed to be pushed off on someone else or off the line altogether? Was I offered something in an effort to make a bad situation right? Did I come away from the experience feeling whole or dissatisfied and still working to resolve an issue that seemed like it will never end?

When I was in college, I worked in a fine dining restaurant continued on next page in Minneapolis where I experienced a customer service scenario that forever changed my life and my own expectations surrounding the customer service experience. I wish I could take credit for this incredible example; however, it was my manager at the time, Dale Peterson (who’s now one of my best friends and was a groomsman in my wedding) who took charge and made what could’ve been a bad experience into a glowingly positive one. It was at the very end of the night when we had an eight top show up almost an hour past their reservation time, with the kitchen already in the process of shutting down. We sat them without hesitation, as that was the type of organization we were. I don’t mean to throw the customers under the bus, but they also took almost 35 minutes to review the menu before placing their order. Again, as our mantra was all about service, not one employee batted an eye. We served them an amazing four course dinner with wine flight. The difficult part about serving a table after the kitchen had begun to shut down is that everything takes longer. We’re pulling ingredients out of the cooler, getting pasta water back to boil, and prepping everything as if we’ve just opened, yet the customers viewed the situation as nearly empty restaurant. Why was it taking so long? It drew our first complaint. Then, the customers complained that we did not give them enough time between courses, followed up with two people complaining about the quality of their entrées.

In stepped Dale. Anyone who has worked in a restaurant would understand the situation from the back of the house perspective, knowing things may take longer, and, at that time of night, we weren’t dealing with perfectly sober customers. Still, Dale was the ultimate professional. The first thing that he did was listen. I bet Dale stood there for twelve plus minutes listening to his staff, himself, and the restaurant that he loved working at get berated, relatively unjustly, with a legitimate, concerned and empathetic look on his face, taking a mental note of every grievance the customers brought up. He did not interrupt one time, he did not become defensive, he didn’t mention once how the customers were late for their reservation and how that can add undue and unexpected stress to a kitchen. He simply listened. When was the last time you felt truly listened to in a situation like this? After hearing all the grievances, he briefly reiterated the list back to the table to be sure he had everything accurate. Then he went to work at making the situation right.

The first thing that Dale did was signal me, the bartender, to bring a round of drinks to the table as he could see that they were unhappy. As drinks were delivered, the customers looked up as though “we didn’t order these.” Dale just said, “As I can see your experience hasn’t been the best, this is just one small token of our appreciation for your business. I don’t want you to feel rushed in your telling me your experience, I just thought you looked thirsty.” This got a good chuckle out of everyone and was the first step in turning the tide of the experience. I do have to defend the team at the restaurant, we really had done a great job, but that didn’t matter. In almost any situation or relationship, intent doesn’t matter, what matters is perception. Dale then offered up a dessert tornado, bringing one of every dessert on the menu to the table, which they were also very grateful for.

As the evening was ending, Dale came back to the table with the check reiterating the complimentary drinks and desserts, but as he did so, his instinct told him that they were still a little begrudged. So, Dale, in his wisdom, told the table, “Folks, you have been so wonderfully patient with us and as it seemed we missed the bar in our delivery of our cuisine and service to you, we would like to take care of the bill for you entirely”. It was at that time that the customers said, “Oh no, that’s too much, you have already done so much. We were just grateful for your listening and those desserts were out of this world. We are fine covering the bill.”

That is the moral of the story - Correcting a negative situation so well that the customer is literally telling you that you have already done more than is necessary to make this situation right.

More times than not, I’ve been able to pull a positive review from a client that was unhappy at some point, and I have never received a negative review. Look us up on Google –knock on wood There’s an old cliché that a person will tell 2-3 people about a positive experience but will tell 7-10 people about a negative one. I would go a step further by adding a third category of a negative experience that was made right with over-the-top customer service. I would venture to say that more people would tell even more people about that experience.

Some of you are probably thinking, “Yeah, they just threw continued on next page a lot of money at the situation.” And in my illustrative example, that is true. Yet, there are so many other ways you can make things right. Handwritten notes and thank you cards are all but extinct in our culture, but people value them as they know they take a little extra time. Get into the habit of giving clients personalized thank you gifts at closings and not just another bottle of wine. Volunteer to bring a manager to the situation and give their contact information to reassure your clients the rest of the experience will be better .

In conclusion, this way of thinking, of making things right but better than before the situation occurred, if utilized in all aspects of our lives and on both sides of any interaction (or transaction), could make all of our interactions and relationships truly great, with all of us living happier and more peaceful lives.

Mathew Schulz, CML, is the President of Firelight Mortgage Consultants in Greenwood Village, Colo., a mortgage company that he has owned for 15 years. He is also a board member of the CAR Foundation. You can reach him at mschulz@FirelightMortgage.com.