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« Mike Reno gives a shout out to Wendy Kurtz | Main | Update your copy before you promote special events » It's getting hot in here
Our air conditioner died last night. We kept it on life support longer than most would survive (or most people would try) but even with our nurture, care, and "please hold out until we sell the house next year" pleas, when it's time to go, it's time to go. Suffice it to say it's gotten very warm in here. We've used the same a/c company for years but have been very disappointed with their service lately, so it's no surprise the message I left at 7:25 a.m. has yet to be returned. Fortunately, I called Marquis Air (recommended by a friend) at 7:40 a.m., told them I had a meeting from 10:00 - 11:00 a.m. and would be home at 11:30. At 11:35 a.m., Art, the owner -- the owner of the company -- called to say they were on their way. This guy understands customer service! Sure enough, the owner arrived with his key tech. They assessed the situation, ordered the new system (yep, we have to replace the entire system), and will be back tomorrow at 7:00 a.m. to get started. The owner even called this evening to let me know they had loaded the new system on their truck tonight so they could pull right out tomorrow. I like these guys already! UPDATE 7/15/05 5:00 p.m.: It's slowly beginning to cool off in here. The guys from Marquis Air had the new unit unloaded and were pulling the old unit off the cement slab when I opened the garage door at 6:50 this morning. They finished the job shortly after Noon, which is what they had estimate yesterday, so I was able to make it to the Chamber luncheon. We have a new a/c company! And I'm a walking, talking marketing machine around the neighborhood for them now, too. UPDATE 05/21/07: I just edited this post to include the name of the air conditioning company. UPDATE 8/31/05: I never did hear back from Crum's Climate Control, unless you count the letter that arrived THE VERY NEXT DAY (no joke!). IT WAS A SALES LETTER! Crum's owner was "sharing" a problem he had -- still having to pay his expensive installers when customers rescheduled their appointments at the last minute. He offered a "generous discount" on a new system if I would simply be flexible with the installation date (in other words, if I would wait to have my unit installed until the next time a customer rescheduled at the last minute). I was tempted to write a response "sharing" my problem: companies that totally disregard their long-term clients. I could give him a "generous discount" on my services but wait...I don't discount my fees because I don't discount my service level. Maybe I'll just offer a free consultation from Common Business Sense 101: "Revamp your customer service program. The cost of gaining a new client is a heavy multiple of the cost of retaining a good client." posted by Wendy Kurtz on July 14, 2005 04:47 PM
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About Wendy:
Wendy Kurtz is President of Elizabeth Charles & Associates, a business development and strategy firm that helps executives, authors and professional speakers grow their business and realize their full revenue potential. Learn more about Wendy...
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