I just got off the phone with a University Bookstore (who shall remain anonymous) who purchased 24 copies of our Business Plan Pro software. We did play a little phone tag before we connected, but the time that lapsed between his original call and the call where we actually spoke was 22 hours (not bad given I was out of the office from 12pm on yesterday).
While placing the order, the customer indicated he needed the software shipped overnight because classes started last week. He continued on, saying they originally contacted another company (he didn’t know or reveal the name of the competitor) but still didn’t have software despite having contacted them at the end of February. He said, “Even though there was a slight delay in you getting back to me since you were out of the office yesterday afternoon, at least you called me back.” My thought was, “Of course I called you back…you are a customer looking for information on our products and services, not to mention returning a phone call is just plain common courtesy.”
I don’t know if I, or the companies I have worked for, are a rare breed, but it amazes me that some people and organizations don’t have the common courtesy or business sense to call a potential customer back. I guess the competitor that this University Bookstore originally called didn’t feel as though an $1865.00 order was worth their time (not to mention the future orders this customer is likely to place).
I am proud to say I work for a company that truly believes in providing good customer service. We call people back and respond to email inquiries in a very timely manner and we treat every customer with respect and appreciation. Yes, I honestly believe we do this, and I think our customers would agree.
Kristen Langham
Marketing Manager
Palo Alto Software
